A United States military attack on Venezuela marks a turning point in hemispheric relations, South American experts say, warning that it could have far-reaching consequences for the region and beyond.

Washington carried out airstrikes inside Venezuela early on Saturday and captured President Nicolas Maduro and his wife. Maduro was in a detention center in New York on Sunday and was expected to face trial under the US judicial system.

The attack followed months of heightened tensions between Venezuela and the US, which has accused Maduro of involvement in drug trafficking.

Jorge Heine, Chile's former ambassador to China and a nonresident fellow at the Quincy Institute in Washington, rejected the US' stated justification that the operation was linked to narcotics trafficking, saying Venezuela is neither a major drug producer nor a key transit country.

"There are two main reasons for this attack," Heine said. "To get US hands on Venezuelan oil, and to appeal to the Cuban and Venezuelan exile vote in Florida — Secretary of State Marco Rubio's home state."

The removal of Maduro does not resolve Venezuela's internal political crisis and could deepen uncertainty, he said.

He questioned Washington's post-intervention plans. "(US President Donald) Trump said in his press conference that the US will now run Venezuela, but how would that work?"

The operation has also unsettled governments across South America, Heine said, warning that the precedent could have broader regional implications.

The intervention "will cause great damage to the US standing in the region" and reinforces calls for greater strategic independence among Latin American countries, he said.

Beyond the region, Heine said the intervention carries serious implications for global governance.

"The attack on Venezuela is a flagrant violation of international law and of the United Nations Charter," he said. "It constitutes a significant blow to the international legal order and multilateralism."

Xavier Diaz-Lacayo, a Nicaraguan political analyst, strongly condemned the US military strike on Venezuela, calling for the international community to act.

"It is time to say enough," he told Cuban news agency Prensa Latina.

The international community should "firmly condemn the aggression and demand restitution" for "an assault on the international legal order".

Diaz-Lacayo urged Washington to respect international norms on self-determination and international law. He called for the restoration of Maduro "to the full exercise of his functions".

"The world must demand that the US handle international affairs according to the principles of peace and dialogue, as decided by the peoples of Latin America and the world."

Venezuela is determined "to live in peace and to exercise sovereignly the use of its strategic resources, such as oil and hydrocarbons, to sustain its economic development", he said. However, this right is being denied through accusations and attacks "that have no relation to international legality", he added.

The US position is "based on the doctrine of Manifest Destiny and the Monroe Doctrine, aimed at securing strategic, economic, political and military interests in the region", he said. He warned that "the condemnation from peoples and governments of the world contrasts with the persistence of a unilateral stance by the United States".

Agencies contributed to this story.

gaoyang@chinadailyusa.com