The United States launched a “large-scale strike” in Venezuela early Saturday, saying President Nicolas Maduro and his wife had been arrested and taken out of the country after months of pressure from Washington – an extraordinary nighttime operation that President Donald Trump announced on social media hours after the attack.
Several explosions were heard and low-flying aircraft swept over the capital, Caracas, after Maduro’s government quickly accused the US of attacking civilian and military installations. The Venezuelan government called it an “imperialist attack” and urged citizens to take to the streets.
Trump announced the developments on Truth Social shortly after 4:30 p.m. ET and said he would hold a news conference at 11 a.m. ET.
Here’s the latest:
The United States indicted Maduro for narco-terrorism in 2020
The Justice Department alleged that during Trump’s first term in office, Maduro effectively transformed Venezuela into a criminal enterprise in the service of drug traffickers and terrorist groups as he and his associates stole billions from the South American country.
The coordinated unsealing of indictments against 14 officials and people associated with the government, and the $55 million reward for Maduro and four others, attacked all the main planks of what then-Attorney General William Barr called a “corrupt Venezuelan regime,” including the Maduro-dominated judiciary and powerful armed forces.
New York prosecutors in an indictment accused Maduro and Socialist Party boss Diosdado Cabello, head of the rubber-stamping Constitutional Assembly, of working with Colombian rebels and members of the military to “flood the United States with cocaine” and use the drug trade as a “weapon against the United States.”
Read our news report on fees from 2020
State Department Officials Say ‘Dictator Gone’
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau says Maduro’s military crackdown and capture signal a “new dawn for Venezuela,” adding that “the dictator is gone.”
He posted X hours after the strike. His boss, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, posted in July that Maduro “is not the president of Venezuela and his regime is not a legitimate government.”
Sen. Lee says Rubio told him he doesn’t expect to take any further action on Venezuela
Utah Sen. Mike Lee said Rubio told him he “doesn’t expect Maduro to take any further action in Venezuela in U.S. custody,” the lawmaker posted on social media.
Sen. Lee says Rubio informed him that Maduro would be tried in the US
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, posted on X that he had spoken with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who briefed him on the strike. Rubio told Lee that Maduro had been “arrested by US personnel to face criminal charges in the United States.”
The White House did not immediately respond to questions about where Maduro and his wife were taken. Maduro was indicted in March 2020 in the Southern District of New York on charges of “narco-terrorism” conspiracy.
Colombia prepares to accept Venezuelan refugees
Colombian President Gustavo Petro, one of Trump’s staunchest critics, said the Colombian government called a national security meeting early Saturday morning and sent security forces to the border in preparation for a possible “massive influx of refugees” from neighboring Venezuela.
He said he would ask the UN Security Council to consider “aggression against the sovereignty of Venezuela and Latin America”.
“Without sovereignty, there is no nation,” Petro wrote on social media.
Russia called the US action an ‘act of armed aggression’
In a statement posted on its Telegram channel on Saturday, the Russian Foreign Ministry condemned what it called an “act of armed aggression” by the US against Venezuela.
“Venezuela must be guaranteed the right to determine its own destiny without any destructive, let alone military intervention,” the statement said.
The ministry called for talks to stop further escalation and said it reaffirmed its “solidarity” with the Venezuelan people and government, and that Russia supports calls for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.
The State Department has urged Americans in Venezuela to seek shelter there
The State Department issued a new travel warning early Saturday, urging Americans in Venezuela to “shelter in place” because of the situation.
“The US Embassy Bogotá is aware of reports of explosions in and around Caracas, Venezuela,” it said without elaborating.
“The U.S. Embassy in Bogota, Colombia has warned U.S. citizens not to travel to Venezuela. U.S. citizens in Venezuela should seek shelter there.” The embassy in Bogotá has been closed since March 2019 but operates remotely.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio retweeted Trump’s announcement without comment, but his deputy, Christopher Landau, posted Trump’s statement saying it marked “a new dawn for Venezuela.” “The dictator is gone. Now he will face justice for his crimes,” Landau said.
Venezuela’s vice president asked for proof of life for Maduro
“We don’t know the condition of President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores,” says Venezuelan Vice President Delsy Rodriguez. He added: “We ask for proof of life.”
Trump says Maduro, wife arrested
Trump said Maduro “was arrested and taken out of the country with his wife. The operation was carried out in cooperation with US law enforcement. Details to follow.” He organized a press conference on Saturday morning.
Explosions in Caracas
Explosions – at least seven – in the Venezuelan capital Caracas early on the third day of 2026 sent people running into the streets, while others took to social media to report hearing and seeing explosions. It was not immediately clear if there were casualties. The apparent attack itself lasted less than 30 minutes, but it was unclear if further actions were ahead, although Trump said in his post that the attacks were “successful”.
