New york: The United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Monday morning local time in New York to discuss the United States’ military attack on Venezuela and the detention of its President Nicol¡s Maduro.

According to Islamic Republic News Agency, the emergency session was requested by Venezuela and Colombia, with Russia and China-both permanent members of the Security Council-also supporting the call for the meeting.

In a letter sent to the Security Council on Saturday, Venezuela’s ambassador to the UN, Samuel Reinaldo Moncada Acosta, condemned the US attack and urged the council to take immediate action to halt Washington’s measures. The envoy warned that, in light of the attacks, Venezuela reserves its ‘inherent right of self-defense’ under international law.

The letter described the US actions as a ‘colonial war’ aimed at dismantling Venezuela’s republican system of government, which the ambassador said had been freely chosen by the Venezuelan people. The envoy also said that Washington is seeking to impose a puppet government that would enable the exploitation of Venezuela’s natural resources, including some of the world’s largest oil reserves.

Participants in the meeting have not yet been officially confirmed, though UN Secretary-General Ant³nio Guterres may attend.

The United States attacked Venezuela on Saturday, striking positions in the capital, Caracas, and several more regions. The attack came nearly four months after the US struck what it described as drug boats in waters near Venezuela. The US aggression triggered global condemnations.