WASHINGTON, January 3. /TASS/. US SecretaryHof State Marco Rubio posted on X a screenshot of his message from six months ago that Washington does not recognize Nicolas Maduro as the president of Venezuela.

"Maduro is NOT the President of Venezuela, and his regime is NOT the legitimate government. Maduro is the head of the Cartel de los Soles, a narco-terror organization, which has taken possession of a country. And he is under indictment for pushing drugs into the United States," reads the message, which was originally published on July 27.

Earlier Venezuelan Foreign Minister Ivan Gil Pinto said that the United States had attacked civilian and military facilities in Caracas, calling Washington's actions a military aggression. A state of emergency has been declared in Venezuela, and the country's army is preparing to defend its sovereignty.

US President Donald Trump said that the United States had successfully launched large-scale strikes against Venezuela. According to him, Maduro and his wife were captured and taken out of the country.