By Jack Phillips

A significant portion of Venezuelan socialist leader Nicolás Maduro’s security team was killed in the U.S. operation that led to the leader’s capture, Venezuelan Defense Minister General Vladimir Padrino López in a news conference on Jan. 4.

While López didn’t provide a figure of the casualties, he backed the Venezuelan Supreme Court declaration that Vice President Delcy Rodríguez serve as interim president and said armed forces were activated across the country.

He said in a live video address that “much of” Maduro’s “security team” as well as soldiers and civilians, were killed in the operation, according to a translation from Spanish.

López said he wants Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who was also detained Jan. 3, to both be returned to Venezuela. He described the U.S. military operation as an act of aggression against the country.

Earlier, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that U.S. President Donald Trump has had conversations with Rodríguez, the interim leader of the country, which she described as ”very matter-of-fact and very clear.”

“You can lead, or you can get out of the way,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News. “Because we’re not going to allow you to continue to subvert American influence and our need to have a free country like Venezuela to work with rather than to have dictators in place who perpetuate crimes and drug trafficking.”

Noem said that the United States wants a leader in Venezuela who will be “a partner that understands that we’re going to protect America” when it comes to stopping drug trafficking and “terrorists from coming into our country.”

She noted that “we’re looking for a leader that will stand up beside us and embrace those freedoms and liberties for the Venezuelan people, but also ensure that they’re not perpetuating crimes around the globe like they’ve had in the past.”

On Jan. 4, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that the operation in Venezuela was meant to bolster U.S. national security and that it was in the interests of the country.

“There’s not a war” between the Trump administration and Venezuela, he said.

“We are at war against drug trafficking organizations, not a war against Venezuela,” Rubio said.

He then described Maduro as the leader of a drug cartel known as the Cartel del Soles, which was designated as a foreign terrorist organization late last year.

We will continue to reserve the right to take strikes against the drug boats that are bringing drugs toward the United States, that are being operated by transnational criminal organizations, including the cartel,“ he said. ”Of course, the leader of that cartel is now in U.S. custody and facing U.S. justice.”

The Venezuelan regime has said for months that Trump’s operations in the Western Hemisphere and actions against the Maduro regime are part of an effort to take possession of the country’s vast natural resources, especially its oil.

Maduro was indicted in 2020 on U.S. charges, including narco-terrorism conspiracy. He has denied any criminal involvement.

Rubio said on Jan. 4 that Maduro was given the opportunity to come to an agreement with the United States to leave Venezuela and relinquish power, even as recently as a week ago. But he stressed that Maduro has a history of not committing to deals with the United States.

With Maduro gone, “other people” in charge of the country’s “military and police apparatus” will have to make choices about the future of their nation, Rubio told Fox. He said that there should be no more “Iran–Hezbollah presence,” no more drug smuggling, and no more using the country’s vast oil reserves to enrich U.S. adversaries.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.