The United States' attack on Venezuela, which led to the seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, violated both US and international laws, several legal experts have told Middle East Eye.
Venezuela's left-wing leader and his wife were seized from their home in Caracas on Saturday after a brazen series of attacks - involving more than 150 US aircraft - resulted in two key military installations being bombed and a reported 100 people killed.
US President Donald Trump and his administration have maintained that their assault was legally justified and have referred to the violation of Venezuelan airspace, the ensuing air strikes and the seizure of Maduro as a law enforcement operation rather than a military attack.
Trump has also justified Maduro's seizure as a way for the US to seize "stolen" oil from Venezuela, and has promised that the US would "run" Venezuela for the foreseeable future while American energy companies take control of the country's rich oil reserves.
Currently standing trial in New York on drugs, weapons and "narco-terrorism" charges, Maduro, 63, has insisted he is "still president" of Venezuela, and told a federal judge on Tuesday that he had been illegally "captured" and was "a prisoner of war".
