Smoke rises near Fort Tiuna during a full blackout in Caracas,January 3, 2026. Source: Reuters
The US has struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, who has been taken out of the country, President Donald Trump said on Saturday.
The US has not made such a direct intervention in Latin America since the invasion of Panama in 1989 to depose military leader Manuel Noriega.
Donald Trump confirmed the US attack on Venezuela. “The United States of America has successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the country,” Trump said in a Truth Social post, adding that a press conference at Mar-a-Lago at 11 am (1600 GMT).
Source: Donald Trump on Truth Social
There was no immediate confirmation from the Venezuelan government.
“This operation was done in conjunction with US law enforcement,” Trump said.
“A new dawn for Venezuela! The tyrant is gone. He will now — finally — face justice for his crimes,” US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said on X.
US Senator Mike Lee said the country had completed its military action, quoting Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“He anticipates no further action in Venezuela now that Maduro is in US custody,” Lee, a Republican initially critical of the operation, wrote on X after what he said was a telephone call with Rubio.
Venezuela’s opposition, headed by Maria Corina Machado, said in a statement on X that it had no official comment on the events.
Earlier, Venezuela accused the United States of attacking civilian and military sites after multiple explosions and low-flying aircraft were reported over Caracas, leaving several areas without electricity.
The Venezuelan government said at least seven explosions were heard around 2am local time in the capital, while aircraft flew at low altitude over several neighbourhoods. Authorities said civilian and military installations were targeted in multiple states.
Smoke was seen rising from the hangar of a military base in Caracas, while another military installation in the capital was left without power. Residents in several neighbourhoods rushed into the streets following the explosions.
Left: A column of smoke rises following an explosion, as the sky is illuminated by another explosion in the distance in the early hours of the morning, in Caracas, Venezuela, January 3, 2026 in this screen grab obtained from video obtained by Reuters. Right: A column of smoke rises following an explosion, as the sky is illuminated by another explosion in the distance in the early hours of the morning, in Caracas. Source: Reuters
“The whole ground shook. This is horrible. We heard explosions and planes in the distance,” said Carmen Hidalgo, a 21-year-old office worker, her voice trembling. She was walking quickly with two relatives after returning from a birthday party. “We felt like the air was hitting us.”
Columns of smoke rose into the sky as flashes from further explosions were seen in the distance in the early hours of the morning. Venezuelan state television did not interrupt its programming and instead aired a report on Venezuelan music and art.
The explosions came as US President Donald Trump, who has deployed a naval task force to the Caribbean, has raised the possibility of ground strikes against Venezuela.
On Monday, Trump said the United States had hit and destroyed a docking area for what he described as Venezuelan drug boats. He did not say whether it was a military or CIA operation or where the strike took place, saying only that it was “along the shore.”
If confirmed, it would be the first known land strike on Venezuelan territory.
President Nicolas Maduro has neither confirmed nor denied Monday’s strike. On Thursday, however, he said he was open to cooperation with Washington after weeks of increased US military pressure.
Background of the strikes
On January 2, Maduro said that “the U.S. goal is to seize Venezuela’s oil, gold, rare earth elements, and all its mineral wealth.”
He had said that the US agenda in Venezuela was simply to obtain and control these resources.
The Trump administration has accused Maduro of leading a drug cartel and says it is intensifying efforts to curb trafficking. Maduro has denied the allegations, saying Washington is seeking to overthrow him because Venezuela holds the world’s largest known oil reserves.
The United States has increased pressure on Caracas by informally closing Venezuela’s airspace, imposing additional sanctions and ordering the seizure of tankers carrying Venezuelan oil.
For weeks, Trump has threatened ground strikes against drug cartels in the region, saying they would begin “soon,” with Monday’s reported attack seen as the first example.
US forces have also carried out numerous strikes on boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean since September, targeting what Washington claims are drug smugglers.
