America hit with a “large-scale strike” early Saturday, capturing the nation’s president, , and flying him in another country after months of stepped-up strain by Washington.
President introduced the small print in a information convention Saturday morning.
“At my course, the US Armed Forces performed an extraordinary navy operation within the capital of Venezuela,” he mentioned.
“Air, land and sea was used to launch a spectacular assault.”
Trump claimed U.S. forces “efficiently captured Maduro at nighttime,” including, “we’re going to run the nation till such time as we are able to do a protected, correct and considered transition.”
Beneath Venezuelan legislation, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez would usually take energy.
There was no affirmation that had occurred, although she did subject an announcement after the strike.
“We have no idea the whereabouts of President Nicolás Maduro and First Woman Cilia Flores,” Rodríguez mentioned. “We demand proof of life.”
Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah posted on X that he had spoken with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who instructed him Maduro “has been arrested by U.S. personnel to face trial on prison expenses in the US.”
A number of explosions rang out, and low-flying plane swept via Caracas, the capital, on Jan. 3.
Get breaking Nationwide information
For information impacting Canada and all over the world, join breaking information alerts delivered on to you after they occur.
Maduro’s authorities instantly accused the US of attacking civilian and navy installations.
The Venezuelan authorities condemned what it referred to as an “imperialist assault” and urged residents to take to the streets.
Though within the hours after the strikes, many Venezuelans have been seen celebrating the seize of Maduro with new hopes for a free nation.
James Story, the final U.S. ambassador to Venezuela, emphasised the size of the criminality underneath Maduro.
“The Maduro regime is a prison group masquerading as a authorities,” he mentioned in an interview with World Information.
Story described the human toll of the disaster, “you may have nearly 9 million individuals who’ve needed to flee Venezuela… It is a query of human rights, the place it is a regime that’s underneath indictment for crimes towards humanity.”
Rubio mentioned Maduro “just isn’t the president of Venezuela and his regime just isn’t the legit authorities.”
Gen. Dan Caine described “Operation Absolute Resolve,” as, “discreet, exact and performed throughout the darkest hours.”
He additional defined that the strikes have been a “fruits of months of planning and rehearsal, an operation that solely the US navy might undertake.”
No American service member was killed, and no American tools was misplaced, in accordance with officers.
Trump added that is solely the beginning of American involvement within the nation.
“We’re going to be taking an incredible quantity of wealth out of the bottom,” Trump mentioned. “And that wealth goes to the folks of Venezuela and the folks outdoors of Venezuela and in addition to the US of America within the type of reimbursement for the damages brought on to us by that nation.”
Trump described Maduro as the pinnacle of a prison community accountable for trafficking huge quantities of medication into the US.
“Every boat kills, on common, 25,000 folks,” he claimed.
The strikes got here after months of strain by the Trump administration, together with assaults on boats suspected of carrying medication and a latest CIA drone strike on a suspected cartel docking space.
The variety of Venezuelan casualties just isn’t instantly clear.
Movies from Caracas present buildings and navy installations broken, and a number of explosions have been reported throughout the capital and close by states.
Conservative Chief Pierre Poilievre congratulated Trump on X, calling Maduro a “narco-terrorist and socialist dictator” and urging a transition to opposition management.
Canadian International Affairs Minister Anita Anand additionally took to X with an announcement that mentioned Canada continues to refuse to acknowledge the legitimacy of the Maduro regime and is “monitoring developments intently.”
“Canada calls on all events to respect worldwide legislation and we stand by the folks of Venezuela,” Anand mentioned in an announcement.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney posted an announcement on social media stating that, “We’re at the beginning prepared to help Canadians via our consular officers and our embassy in Bogotá, Colombia, and can proceed to assist Venezuelan refugees.”
The Authorities of Canada has up to date its journey advisory, urging residents to keep away from all journey to Venezuela, warning the scenario is “tense and will escalate rapidly.”
© 2026 World Information, a division of Corus Leisure Inc.
