Leader was arrested in Caracas during an aerial assault on the city and surrounding areas
Liliana Fernandez (35), originally from Portuguesa, a region west of Caracas, has lived in Ireland since 2013.
Ms Fernandez, who works for the National Women’s Council and is based in Leopardstown, Dublin, told the Irish Independent that when she first heard of the bombings, she was “very worried for the people on the ground”.
She said: “I just felt very sorry for the young people who were posting videos; you could tell they were very, very scared.”
Ms Fernandez has a number of friends and university colleagues in Caracas who heard the bombs in the middle of the night.
“When I talked to them about how they felt, their reaction was, unfortunately, ‘we got to this point; something needed to happen for us to see a change’.
“It was shocking for people. But, at the same time, everyone was expecting something to happen.
“They were intrigued how the United States have been in the ocean for a few months now, in the Caribbean, and they hadn’t intervened.”
An apartment building in Catia la Mar, near Caracas, that residents say was damaged during the aerial assault. Photo: AP
Ms Fernandez is firmly against the US military action in Venezuela, but described the general dissatisfaction with the government among people in Venezuela.
“It’s a delicate and complicated situation for us.
“I understand how people can react towards any military intervention. Obviously, that’s the last resort, to remove a government by military intervention.
“But, at the same time, I wonder… The same way we question international law in terms of respecting sovereignty, I wonder whether we question at the same level the violation of human rights on a daily basis in a country.
“That’s the reason why local people are supportive of this.”
On Saturday, Donald Trump said that the US is “going to run” Venezuela for the foreseeable future.
However, Ms Fernandez, and her family and friends, are worried about the exact role the US will take up in the country.
“I am concerned, especially after hearing the declarations from Trump, which are so vague and so irresponsible. The way he’s talking, as if on a playground.”
Donald Trump monitoring the military operation with CIA director John Ratcliffe and secretary of state Marco Rubio. Photo: AP
Venezuelan vice-president Delcy Rodriguez has assumed power following Maduro’s arrest, and will be negotiating with the US.
However, exact details are few and far between, with Trump stating on Saturday that “we’re not afraid of boots on the ground”.
“What will this transition look like?” Ms Fernandez said.
“I don’t think the United States is even clear about that, because I heard [US secretary of state] Marco Rubio saying it can take two to three weeks, or two to three months.
“And we know Donald Trump. We know that this man really doesn’t have any respect for human rights in general – not in America, let alone in Venezuela or in Gaza.
“What are they going to do with the rest of the people governing the country?
“Because, obviously, by extracting Maduro, it doesn’t mean that we are free now.
“There has to be a clear procedure of what’s going to happen with the rest of the people controlling [the government].”