The United States carried out overnight military strikes in Venezuela and captured President Nicolás Maduro, President Donald Trump said early Saturday, marking the most direct U.S. intervention in Latin America in more than three decades.
Trump said Maduro, who has ruled Venezuela since 2013, was detained along with his wife and flown out of the country following what he described as a large-scale operation involving U.S. law enforcement and elite special forces. He said further details would be released at a press conference later in the day at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.
The operation represents Washington’s most overt military action in the region since the 1989 invasion of Panama, when U.S. forces deposed military ruler Manuel Noriega over drug-trafficking allegations.
The United States has accused Maduro of overseeing a “narco-state” and of rigging Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election, claims Maduro has repeatedly denied. He has accused Washington of seeking control over Venezuela’s oil reserves, the largest proven reserves in the world.
Venezuela’s government did not immediately confirm Maduro’s capture or removal from the country. However, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino condemned the U.S. action in a televised address, calling it a violation of national sovereignty and urging Venezuelans to resist foreign intervention.
“Free, independent and sovereign Venezuela rejects the presence of foreign troops that have brought only death, pain and destruction,” Padrino said. “Unity will give us the strength to resist.”
Explosions were reported in Caracas and several surrounding states early Saturday, prompting authorities to declare a national emergency and mobilize troops. Witnesses reported hearing aircraft overhead and seeing flashes and smoke across parts of the capital for more than an hour. Power outages were reported near major military installations.
The Venezuelan opposition, led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado, said it had no official comment on the events.
Trump has repeatedly accused Venezuela of fueling drug trafficking into the United States and has expanded sanctions, targeted shipping routes and ordered strikes on vessels Washington alleges were involved in narcotics smuggling. His administration has also increased its military presence in the Caribbean in recent months.
The Venezuelan government has consistently denied involvement in drug trafficking and said the U.S. campaign is aimed at seizing the country’s oil and mineral resources.
