The United States conducted military strikes against Venezuelan targets early Saturday, with President Donald Trump claiming forces captured President Nicolás Maduro and his wife and flew them out of the country, marking a dramatic escalation in tensions between the two nations.
Trump announced on Truth Social around 2:00 a.m. Eastern Time that the operation was successful and Maduro and his wife were captured and flown out of the country. The president stated the operation was conducted with United States law enforcement and scheduled a news conference for 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time at Mar a Lago.
Multiple explosions struck Caracas around 2:00 a.m. local time Saturday. CNN journalists witnessed several explosions and heard aircraft sounds in the Venezuelan capital, with some areas losing power following the strikes. Fires erupted at Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela’s largest military complex, and La Carlota air base, according to verified footage and eyewitness accounts.
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez responded in an audio call with state run television VTV, stating the government does not know the whereabouts of Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores, demanding immediate proof of life from the Trump administration. The Venezuelan government issued a statement before Trump’s announcement condemning what it described as very serious military aggression against civilian and military locations in Caracas and the states of Miranda, Aragua, and La Guaira.
Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López called the strikes the greatest outrage the country has suffered and ordered massive deployment of military forces. The government accused Washington of attempting to seize Venezuela’s oil and mineral resources through forced regime change.
United States officials confirmed to CBS News that President Trump had ordered strikes in Venezuela after initial reports emerged of explosions and low flying aircraft. Two United States officials speaking anonymously to CBS News revealed Trump gave the military authorization to conduct land strikes in Venezuela days before the operation, with military officials discussing a Christmas Day mission that was postponed due to United States airstrikes in Nigeria against ISIS targets taking precedence.
At least seven explosions and low flying aircraft were heard around 2:00 a.m. local time Saturday in Caracas, according to The Associated Press. Carmen Hidalgo, a 21 year old office worker returning from a birthday party, told the news agency her voice trembling that the whole ground shook and they heard explosions and planes.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a Notice to Airmen at 1:00 a.m. Eastern Time Saturday prohibiting all United States aircraft from operating at all altitudes within Venezuelan airspace, citing safety of flight risks associated with ongoing military activity. The order was set to expire at 1:00 a.m. Caracas time Sunday and does not apply to foreign or military aircraft.
The United States State Department acknowledged reports of explosions in and around Caracas on the United States Embassy Venezuela website, urging American citizens in the country to shelter in place and leave as soon as safe. The embassy in Caracas has been closed since March 2019, with consular matters handled through Colombia.
The strikes follow months of escalating United States military pressure against Venezuela. Since early September, United States forces have attacked alleged drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean. As of Friday, the number of known boat strikes is 35 and the number of people killed is at least 115, according to Trump administration figures.
The campaign escalated in late December with seizures of oil tankers traveling to and from Venezuelan ports. A large American naval presence assembled in the southern Caribbean, including guided missile destroyers, a missile cruiser, and a Marine Corps amphibious ready group aboard Navy landing ships. The USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, was also deployed to the region in recent months.
Days before the Saturday strikes, CNN reported last month citing sources that the CIA carried out a drone strike in December on a port facility on the coast of Venezuela, marking the first known United States attack on a target inside that country. Trump had repeatedly warned for months that strikes on Venezuelan land would start soon.
United States officials have defended the military campaign as efforts to curb drug trafficking, particularly fentanyl. However, criticism has mounted in Washington with lawmakers from both parties questioning the legality of operations and lack of intelligence briefings to Congress. Democratic Senator Ruben Gallego of Arizona, a United States Marine Corps veteran deployed in Iraq, wrote on X that this war is illegal, calling it the second unjustified war in my lifetime.
Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii criticized the administration for failing to explain actions to the American public, stating we have no vital national interests in Venezuela to justify war. Some legal analysts and former military officials have described the strikes as potential violations of international law.
Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro said in a social media post that someone was bombing Caracas in this moment, without initially specifying who. Regional reaction has been swift, though specific responses from neighboring countries were not immediately available.
Maduro had expressed willingness to negotiate with Washington on drug trafficking, oil, and migration issues in an interview on Venezuelan state television earlier in the week. Venezuela possesses some of the world’s largest oil reserves, resources Trump administration officials have repeatedly referenced in discussing Venezuela policy.
The scope, duration, and ultimate objectives of the operation remain unclear. Venezuelan authorities called for an immediate United Nations Security Council meeting. Whether Maduro remains in United States custody, his current location, and the status of Venezuelan government operations following the strikes are unconfirmed at this time as the situation continues developing.
