The United States carried out a “large-scale attack” early Saturday, capturing the country’s president and flying him out of the country after months of increased pressure from Washington.
The president announced the details in a press conference Saturday morning.
“At my direction, the Armed Forces of the United States conducted a… extraordinary military operation in the capital of Venezuela,” he said.
“Air, land and sea were used to launch a spectacular attack.”
Trump claimed that US forces had “successfully captured Maduro in the middle of the night” and added: “We will continue to govern the country until we can carry out a safe, orderly and sensible transition.”
Under Venezuelan law, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez would normally assume power.
There was no confirmation of this, although she issued a statement after the strike.
“We do not know the whereabouts of President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores,” Rodríguez said. “We demand proof of life.”
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Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah posted
The Venezuelan government condemned what it called an “imperialist attack” and urged citizens to take to the streets.
On January 3, multiple explosions rang out and low-flying aircraft swept over the capital, Caracas.
Maduro’s government immediately accused the US of attacks on civilian and military facilities.
Rubio said Maduro “is not the president of Venezuela and his regime is not the legitimate government.”
General Dan Caine described “Operation Absolute Resolve” as “discreet, precise and carried out in the darkest hours.”
He added that the attacks “represented a culmination of months of planning and rehearsal, an operation that only the U.S. military could carry out.”
Trump added that not a single American soldier was killed and no American equipment was lost.
Trump described Maduro as the head of a criminal network responsible for smuggling huge amounts of drugs into the United States.
“Each boat kills an average of 25,000 people,” he claimed.
The attacks came after months of pressure from the Trump administration, including attacks on boats suspected of carrying drugs and a recent CIA drone strike on a suspected cartel docking area.
The number of Venezuelan victims is not immediately clear.
Videos from Caracas show damaged buildings and military facilities, and several explosions were reported in the capital and surrounding states.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre congratulated Trump on X, called Maduro a “narco-terrorist and socialist dictator” and called for a transition to opposition leadership.
Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand also reached out to X with a statement saying Canada continues to refuse to recognize the legitimacy of the Maduro regime and is “closely monitoring developments.”
“Canada calls on all parties to respect international law and we stand with the Venezuelan people,” Anand said in a statement.
The Canadian government has updated its travel advisory and is urging citizens to avoid all travel to Venezuela. She warns that the situation is “tense and could escalate quickly.”
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