“Any violence and intimidation against the American diplomatic staff, Venezuelan Democratic leader Juan Guiado or the National Assembly itself constitutes a serious encroachment on the rule of law and will lead to significant retaliation,” Bolton wrote in his microblog on Twitter.
Earlier, Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro said he had decided to close the embassy and all the consulates of Venezuela in the United States.
Later, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreasa said that the authorities would not undertake hostile actions against the employees of the US Embassy, even if they did not leave the territory of the republic.