Israel’s prime minister and foreign minister issued high praise to US President Donald Trump following the successful operation on Saturday to capture Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro. More of their remarks can be found here: “Israeli leadership hails Trump for ‘brave, brilliant’ Venezuela operation,” i24News, January 3, 2026:
Israel’s prime minister and foreign minister issued high praise to U.S. President Donald Trump following the successful operation on Saturday to capture Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro.
“Israel commends the United States’ operation, led by President Trump, which acted as the leader of the free world,” GIdeon [sic] Sa’ar, the Jewish state’s top diplomat, wrote on social media. “At this historic moment, Israel stands alongside the freedom-loving Venezuelan people, who have suffered under Maduro’s illegal tyranny.”
“Israel welcomes the removal of the dictator who led a network of drugs and terror and hopes for the return of democracy to the country and for friendly relations between the states,” he further added….
Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, hailed Trump’s “bold and historic leadership on behalf of freedom and justice.”
“I salute your decisive resolve and the brilliant action of your brave soldiers,” the premier added.
#2. Iran
Iran has strongly condemned the US attack on Venezuela, describing it as a “blatant violation” of the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.More of Iran’s reaction can be found here: “Iran condemns US attack on Venezuela as ‘blatant violation’ of sovereignty,” by Rania Abu Shamala, AA, January 3, 2026:
Iran has strongly condemned the US attack on Venezuela, describing it as a “blatant violation” of the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“The US military attack on Venezuela constitutes a clear violation of the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter and the basic rules of international law, particularly Article 2, Paragraph 4 of the Charter, which prohibits the use of force,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
It “condemned the United States’ military aggression against Venezuela and the blatant violation of the country’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” it went on.
The attack is “a textbook example of an act of aggression that must be explicitly condemned immediately by the United Nations and by all states concerned with upholding the rule of law, peace, and international security,” the statement added.
The ministry also reaffirmed Venezuela’s “inherent right to defend its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and right to self-determination.”
It emphasized the legal and moral responsibility of all states and international organizations, particularly the UN Security Council, to act immediately to halt what it described as “illegal US aggression” and to ensure accountability for those responsible for planning and carrying out the attacks.
#3.
Venezuelan migrants around the world erupted in celebration on Saturday following the U.S.-led deposition of President Nicolás Maduro, whose government prompted one of the largest migration crises in recent history. More on their celebrations can be found here: “‘My joy is too big’: Venezuelan emigrés celebrate Maduro ouster, wonder what’s next,”January 3, 2026:
Venezuelan migrants around the world erupted in celebration on Saturday following the US-led deposition of President Nicolas Maduro, whose government oversaw one of the world’s largest migration exoduses in recent history.
Chants celebrating Maduro’s capture were heard in the streets of Chile’s capital, where Venezuelans gathered to share their joy.
“We are free. We are all happy that the dictatorship has fallen and that we have a free country,” said Khaty Yanez, a Venezuelan woman who has spent the last seven years in Chile.
“My joy is too big,” her compatriot Jose Gregorio said. “After so many years, after so many struggles, after so much work, today is the day. Today is the day of freedom.”
Since 2014, some 7.7 million Venezuelans, or 20% of the population, have left the country, unable to afford food or seeking better opportunities abroad, according to the UN International Organization for Migration.
Neighboring Colombia has received the largest share of the diaspora, with around 2.8 million Venezuelans, followed by 1.7 million in Peru, according to the R4V platform, a group of regional NGOs assisting migrants and refugees from Venezuela set up by the UN migration agency.
In Peru’s capital Lima, dozens of Venezuelans gathered, many wrapped in their country’s flag, to mark Maduro’s deposition….
Cheers and happy delirium among crowds of Venezuela in Santiago, Chile, in Madrid, Spain, in Bogota, Colombia, in Lima, Peru, in Panama City, Panama, in Miami and New York.
Deep anger in Iran, in the ranks of Hamas and even more, in Hezbollah, as well as in China, Russia, and North Korea.
#4.
After the successful rendition by the American military of Nicolas Maduro to New York, María Corina Machado, the longtime leader of the opposition to Maduro and the winner of the 2025 Nobel Prize for Peace, wrote a letter to her fellow Venezuelans. Among other things, it said:
Venezuelans, The time for freedom has come!
Nicolás Maduro from today will face international justice for the atrocious crimes committed against Venezuelans and against citizens of many other nations. Given his refusal to accept a negotiated solution, the United States government has fulfilled its promise to enforce the law.
The time has come for popular sovereignty and national sovereignty to prevail in our country. We are going to restore order, release the political prisoners, build an exceptional country, and bring our children back home.
We have fought for years, we have given it our all, and it has been worth it. What was meant to happen is happening.
This is the hour of the citizens. Those of us who risked everything for democracy on June 28th. Those of us who elected Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia as the legitimate President of Venezuela, who must immediately assume his constitutional mandate and be recognized as Commander-in-Chief of the National Armed Forces by all the officers and soldiers who comprise it.
Today we are ready to assert our mandate and take power. Let us remain vigilant, active, and organized until the democratic transition is complete. A transition that needs ALL of us….
#5. The United Nations
At the United Nations, many of its bureaucratic buttinskys had their say, and you find more complete coverage of their remarks here: “US actions in Venezuela ‘constitute a dangerous precedent’: Guterres,” UN News, January 3, 2026:
The UN Secretary-General António Guterres has said he is “deeply alarmed” over the standoff between the United States and Venezuela in recent months, which culminated on Saturday morning in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro by US special forces….
“The Secretary-General is deeply alarmed by the recent escalation in Venezuela, culminating with today’s United States military action in the country, which has potential worrying implications for the region,” said a statement issued by UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric.
“Independently of the situation in Venezuela, these developments constitute a dangerous precedent. The Secretary-General continues to emphasize the importance of full respect – by all – of international law, including the UN Charter,” the statement continued.
“He’s deeply concerned that the rules of international law have not been respected.”
Mr. Guterres called on all parties involved to engage in “inclusive dialogue” in accordance with human rights and international law.
The UN human rights chief Volker Türk also called for restraint and full respect for international law. “The protection of the people of Venezuela is paramount and must guide any further action,” he added.
Venezuela has formally asked the Security Council to meet in emergency session in New York and a meeting has been scheduled for 10am on Monday morning….
Responding to the crisis, President of the UN General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock, said the “guiding framework” in the days ahead must be the UN Charter, which is not an “optional document”.
She said Article 2 clearly stipulates that all Member States, including the US, need to refrain from the “threat or use of force” against the territory or political independence of any other nation.
“A peaceful, safe and just world for everyone is only possible if the rule of law prevails instead of might makes right,” she warned….
Chair of the independent investigative team appointed by the Human Rights Council, Marta Valiñas, said the focus should remain on “grave human rights violations and crimes against humanity” committed against Venezuelans, regardless of the charges cited by the US to justify its actions….
What about the last twenty years of “grave human violations and crimes” that Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro committed against the people of Venezuela? Doesn’t that “special investigative team appointed by the Human Rights Council” have a duty to say something about that? And if a homicidal dictator is overthrown, how is that “a crime against humanity”?
There’s my little tour d’horizon of the responses. The UN, morally obtuse as always, is terribly put out by America acting to free the people of Venezuela from a narco-trafficking despot and killer because, that gang on the East River claim, that constitutes a “violation of international law.” Iran, as always, standing up for evil and denouncing the Great Satan for its “aggression.” Israel, full of praise for the American military, expressing delight at the blow struck against Maduro, and for the freedom Venezuelans will now enjoy. And then there are the Venezuelans themselves — save for the regime’s loyalists — both those in their country and those in exile around the world, who have no doubts as to the rightness of what America has wrought.
