Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Cuban leaders on Saturday, saying, "I would be concerned," following the U.S. operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro earlier that day.

Rubio made the remarks during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago, the Trump presidential estate in Florida. The secretary accused Cuba of being "managed by incompetent, aging people, who are not visible in some cases but still incompetent." He claimed that Maduro's guards and Venezuela's "entire intelligence agency" were "filled with Cubans," and said, "this poor island took over Venezuela."

"One of the biggest problems Venezuelans face is having to declare independence from Cuba," Rubio added. "They tried to basically colonize it for security reasons. So yes, listen, if I lived in Havana and was in government, I'd at least be a little worried."

Before Rubio spoke, Trump said his administration "wants to be with good neighbors," but added that Cuba "is not doing well now" and is a "failing state."

"In a way, it's similar; we want to help the Cuban people, but we also want to help those who were forced to leave Cuba and live in this country," he said.

Cuban officials condemned the strike and arrest operation. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Palencia wrote on social platforms that his country condemned the U.S. "military invasion of Venezuela and the kidnapping of its legitimate president, Nicolas Maduro Moros, and his wife."

The U.S. launched an attack on Venezuela on Saturday morning, with explosions in the capital Caracas and three other states. Delta Force soldiers entered Maduro's residence and arrested him and his wife Cilia Flores. Trump said Maduro and Flores are on the U.S. Navy's amphibious assault ship Iwo Jima heading to New York, where they will face charges.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said the two have been indicted in the Southern District of New York. Maduro and Flores face charges of conspiracy to commit drug terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices targeting the United States.

Trump announced at his press conference that the U.S. would "take over" Venezuela until a "safe" transition could be achieved.

Trump said, "We will work with a team on this and ensure it works properly. We will make sure the Venezuelan people are properly taken care of, while ensuring those forced out of Venezuela by this villain are also cared for."

Democratic lawmakers criticized the operation and pointed out that the action was illegal without congressional approval. Senator Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader in the Senate, called Maduro "an illegitimate leader," but said "it's reckless to carry out arrests without congressional authorization and without a credible follow-up plan."

Original: toutiao.com/article/7591289755833270784/

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