Rubio declines to rule out further US military action in Venezuela at Senate hearing

Secretary of state says administration does not intend to take such action but Trump does reserve the option'

Marco Rubio has declined to rule out future US military action in Venezuela but insisted the Trump administration did not intend to take such steps, as he faced questions from lawmakers over Washington's unprecedented intervention.

The US secretary of state appeared before the Senate foreign relations committee on Wednesday to defend the removal of Nicolas Maduro, which has left Venezuela under the control of interim president Delcy Rodriguez while the US seizes and sells its oil.