US President Donald Trump announced early Saturday that the United States carried out a “large scale strike” against Venezuela and that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife have been “captured and flown out of the country,” marking a dramatic escalation in US–Venezuelan tensions and prompting a national emergency declaration in Caracas.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the operation was conducted “in conjunction with U.S. law enforcement” and promised further details at a news conference scheduled later in the day at Mar-a-Lago.
He did not provide independent evidence to corroborate the claim of Maduro’s capture.
Explosions and military aircraft were reported over Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, and other regions early Saturday morning, with residents describing loud blasts and smoke rising over key installations.
Venezuelan authorities say the strikes hit both civilian and military targets, though independent verification of the scope and impact of the attacks remains limited.In response, the Venezuelan government condemned what it described as “military aggression” by the United States, declared a national emergency, and urged citizens and political organisations to mobilise against what Caracas called an imperialist attack on its sovereignty.
