Juan Guaidó has for the first time said he would likely back US military intervention in Venezuela, speaking on the eve of another weekend of tension and calls for mass protests.

“If the Americans were to propose a military intervention I would probably accept it,” he said, in an interview with Italian daily newspaper La Stampa.

Mr Guaidó has previously said that “all options remain on the table” – a comment echoed frequently in Washington – but has been gradually hardening his rhetoric on the issue in the wake of the recent failed uprising. This latest appeal is seen as his most direct yet.

He told a press conference on Thursday that multiple red lines had been crossed, including the seizure of his deputy, Edgar Zambrano, on Wednesday night, and the arrest warrants issued for 10 parliamentarians who backed the rebellion. Three of them have fled to embassies in Caracas – two to the Italian embassy, and one to the Argentine.

Mr Guaidó’s political mentor, Leopoldo Lopez, has also sought refuge, residing in the Spanish embassy since the failed uprising of April 30.