QUITO, Ecuador — Ecuador was under a state of siege today, with the military in charge of public order after rescuing President Rafael Correa from a hospital where he had been surrounded, roughed up and tear gassed by rebellious police.

Correa and his ministers called Thursday's revolt — in which insurgents also paralyzed the nation with airport shutdowns and highway blockades — an attempt to overthrow him and not just a simple insurrection over a new law that cuts benefits for public servants.

Other South American presidents quickly showed their support for Correa, rushing to a meeting in Buenos Aires early today and condemning what they called a coup attempt and kidnapping of Correa. The U.S. also warned those who threaten Ecuador's democracy that Correa has full U.S. support.

Both Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and Evo Morales of Bolivia alleged today that the United States was somehow behind the police rebellion, despite forceful U.S. declarations otherwise.

"The United States deplores violence and lawlessness, and we express our full support for President Rafael Correa and the institutions of democratic government in that country," U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said.

At least three people — two police officers and a soldier — were killed and dozens injured in the clashes, said Irina Cabezas. the vice president of congress. Five soldiers were wounded — two critically — in the firefight at the hospital before Correa was removed at top speed in an SUV, according to the military and Red Cross.

Hours before Correa's rescue, the armed forces chief, Gen. Ernesto Gonzalez, declared the military's loyalty to the president. He called for "a re-establishment of dialogue, which is the only way Ecuadoreans can resolve our differences."

But he also called for the law that provoked the unrest to be "reviewed or not placed into effect so public servants, soldiers and police don't see their rights affected."

This poor Andean nation had a history of political instability before Correa, cycling through eight presidents in a decade before he won election in 2006.