Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was captured by US special forces during a late-night raid on Saturday and brought to New York City to face drug trafficking charges. Months before his arrest, the 63-year-old leader had dared US President Donald Trump to "come (to the presidential palace Miraflores) and get him".

"Come get me. I will wait for him here in Miraflores. Don't be late, coward," he said in a fiery speech in August after the US increased the reward for information leading to his arrest.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested Sunday that the United States would not take a day-to-day role in governing Venezuela other than enforcing an existing "oil quarantine" on the country, a turnaround after President Donald Trump announced a day earlier that the US would be running Venezuela following its ouster of leader Nicolas Maduro.

Rubio's statements on TV talk shows seemed designed to temper concerns about whether the assertive American action to achieve regime change might again produce a prolonged foreign intervention or failed attempt at nation-building.  

A large part of erstwhile President Nicolas Maduro's security team was killed in the US raid that led to the leader's Saturday capture, Venezuelan Defence Minister General Vladimir Padrino said in a televised statement on Sunday morning.

Padrino did not give an exact figure of casualties but backed the declaration of Vice President Delcy Rodriguez as interim president and said the armed forces have been activated across the country to guarantee sovereignty, news agency Reuters reported. 

Venezuela's military on Sunday recognized Delcy Rodriguez, deputy to ousted president Nicolas Maduro, as the country's acting leader, after US forces extracted the former head of state to face trial.

Amid uncertainty following the leftist president's dramatic capture, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez appeared to throw his weight behind Rodriguez, who US President Donald Trump had earlier indicated was a figure Washington could work with.

Padrino read out a statement on television endorsing a Supreme Court ruling that appointed Rodriguez as acting president for 90 days. (AFP)

The head of Venezuela's military on Sunday urged the country's citizens to resume their normal activities after US forces bombed the country and seized its leader Nicolas Maduro.

"I call on the people of Venezuela to resume their activities of all kinds, economic, work and education, in the coming days," Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said in a televised address.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that discussions of Venezuela holding elections following Nicolas Maduro's ouster were "premature," with Washington focused on ensuring the remaining leadership in Caracas enacts policy changes.

Asked how soon Venezuelan elections would be following Maduro's capture by US forces on Saturday, Rubio told NBC's "Meet the Press," "All of that, I think, is premature at this point."

"What we are focused on right now is all of the problems we had when Maduro was there. We still have those problems in terms of them needing to be addressed. We are going to give people an opportunity to address those challenges and those problems," he said, news agency AFP reported. 

In late 2001, US-backed forces swept into Kabul, ending the Taliban's rule in a matter of weeks. A new Afghan leader, Hamid Karzai, was installed with American backing. Two decades later, the Taliban returned to power almost as swiftly as they had been removed.

In Iraq, US troops toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003 with similar speed. Washington promised a democratic transformation, but a prolonged insurgency, sectarian civil war, regional destabilisation, and the rise of the so-called Islamic State-outcomes that continue to shape the Middle East today.

There is a familiar theme to American power when it decides to reorder the world. Read more

Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were at their home within the Fuerte Tiuna military installation, the largest in the country just outside Caracas, when they were captured. 

Trump said the US operation took place in darkness, although he did not detail how that had happened. He said the US turned off "almost all of the lights in Caracas," the capital of Venezuela. 

The First Lady of Venezuela is accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in 2007 to arrange a meeting between a major drug trafficker and Nestor Reverol Torres, director of Venezuela's National Anti-Drug Office.

According to the US indictment, the trafficker then agreed to pay the director monthly bribes and about $100,000 for each cocaine-laden flight to ensure safe passage, some of which was allegedly funnelled to Flores. Reverol Torres was later charged with narcotics offences in New York in 2015 and remains a fugitive.

The toppling of President Nicolas Maduro has thrust Venezuela's debt crisis - one of the world's largest unresolved sovereign defaults - into the limelight.

Following years of economic crisis and U.S. sanctions that severed the country from international capital markets, Venezuela defaulted in late 2017 after missing payments on international bonds issued by the government and state oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela, known as PDVSA. 

Since then, accumulated interest and legal claims tied to past expropriations have added to unpaid principal, swelling total external liabilities far beyond the face value of the original bonds. (Reuters)

The United States is ready to work with Venezuela's remaining leaders if they make "the right decision," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday after a shock US operation removed the oil-rich country's president, Nicolas Maduro.

"We're going to judge everything by what they do, and we're going to see what they do," Rubio told CBS News' "Face the Nation" programme.

"I do know this: that if they don't make the right decision, the United States will retain multiple levers of leverage," Rubio added.

US President Donald Trump on Saturday (local time) said that he has managed to settle several global conflicts, claiming he resolved "eight and one-quarter wars," including easing tensions between Thailand and Cambodia.

He also admitted that ending the Russia-Ukraine war has been more difficult. While addressing a press conference in Florida, Trump said, "I settled eight and one-quarter wars. You know what the one quarter was? Thailand and Cambodia. I did it again. They broke out, and I did it in about five hours, and I settled it. I'm giving myself one quarter, so I'm up to now eight and one quarter."

"In other words, I settled the war, but then they broke out. They had a pretty bad breakout over the last four days. I got them to go back to peace. So I only give one quarter. I thought one of the easier ones would be Russia and Ukraine. It's not. And they both have done some pretty bad things," he said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel supported the United States' "strong action" in Venezuela, one day after American forces captured its leader Nicolas Maduro in a military operation.

"Regarding Venezuela, I wish to express the support of the entire government for the resolute decision and strong action of the United States to restore freedom and justice to that region of the world," Netanyahu said at the opening of a cabinet meeting.

Pope Leo called for Venezuela to remain an independent nation and said he was following developments after the United States' toppling of President Nicolas Maduro with a "soul full of concern" on Sunday.

Leo, the first American pope, also called for respect for human rights and the rule of law "as enshrined" in Venezuela's constitution.

"We must not delay in overcoming violence and embarking on paths of justice and peace, while guaranteeing the country's sovereignty," the pope told pilgrims in St. Peter's Square during his Sunday prayer, news agency Reuters reported. 

The US-Venezuela conflict will have a negligible impact on India's trade with the South American country, think tank GTRI said on Sunday.

"India faces negligible impact, as trade with Venezuela has collapsed under sanctions, with crude imports down 81.3 per cent in FY2025 and overall bilateral trade remaining marginal," the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) Founder Ajay Srivastava said.

For India, he said, the Venezuelan disturbance is unlikely to have any material economic or energy impact.

Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, along with his wife, has been captured and flown out of the country, US president Donald Trump announced on social media at 4:21 am on Saturday. Ten minutes later, Tyler Pager, a White House reporter for the New York Times, called Trump. After three rings, the president picked up, and the two were talking, the NYT reported.

"I just called him directly and he picked up. I wasn't that surprised because the president's phone habits are pretty well-documented - he regularly picks up calls from reporters," the NYT said quoting Tyler Page.

"This is the first time I have ever called the president on his cellphone. There is an extremely high bar to reach him directly, and I called him only after consulting with Dick Stevenson, the Washington bureau chief," he said.

A group of shamans gathered Monday by the sea in the Miraflores district of Peru's capital, Lima, to carry out an annual ritual in which they make predictions for the upcoming year.

Dressed in traditional Andean ponchos and headdresses, the group performed a ceremony, and made predictions about the course of international relations, ongoing conflicts and the fate of world leaders.

In this year's event, the shamans said that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro will be removed from office, and added that global conflicts, like the war in Ukraine will continue. (AP)

A US-led takeover or restructuring of Venezuela's oil sector could deliver a direct benefit to India, potentially unlocking close to $1 billion in long-pending dues while accelerating the revival of crude production from fields it operates in the sanctions-hit Latin American nation, analysts and industry sources said.

India was once a major processor of Venezuelan heavy crude, importing more than 4,00,000 barrels per day at peak levels, until sweeping US sanctions and rising compliance risks forcibly shut down purchases in 2020.

Its flagship overseas producer, ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL), jointly operates the San Cristobal oilfield in eastern Venezuela, but output has been severely curtailed as US restrictions blocked access to critical technology, equipment, and services - leaving commercially viable reserves effectively stranded. (PTI)

North Korea has denounced the US strikes on Venezuela as "the most serious form of encroachment of sovereignty," state news agency KCNA said on Sunday.

"The incident is another example that clearly confirms once again the rogue and brutal nature of the United States," KCNA said, citing a spokesperson for North Korea's Foreign Ministry.

The statement came after North Korea launched ballistic missiles earlier on Sunday, the day the leader of South Korea begins a state visit to China, Pyongyang's chief ally.

The USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7) is a large US Navy ship that works like a mini aircraft carrier. It is 840 feet long and has a flight deck 140 feet wide. The ship can carry Marines, helicopters, jets, and boats, allowing it to launch troops and vehicles directly onto shore.

The ship is designed for amphibious assaults, meaning it can quickly move soldiers from sea to land. 

The USS Iwo Jima is heavily armed to protect itself and its crew. It has missile launchers, radar-guided guns, machine guns, and other weapons, making it a "floating fortress" capable of handling threats at sea

It's about oil, US President Donald Trump said quite frankly a day after US special forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and wife Cilia Flores from Caracas in a swift nighttime raid.

Analysts have said Venezuela extracts only 1 per cent of its oil deposit with much difficulty, and the US action won't have any major impact on the global oil market.

"We are going to have very large US oil companies going to Venezuela, spending billions of dollars, fixing the badly broken oil infrastructure and start making money for the country," Trump said in a press briefing.

The US attack on Venezuela will embolden China to strengthen its territorial claims over areas such as Taiwan and parts of the South China Sea but will not hasten any potential invasion of Taiwan, analysts said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping's considerations about Taiwan and his timeline are separate from the situation in Latin America, influenced more by China's domestic situation than by US actions, they said.

Still, analysts said, President Donald Trump's audacious attack on Saturday, capturing Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, hands China an unexpected opportunity that Beijing will likely use in the near term to amplify criticism of Washington and bolster its own standing on the international stage.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro allegedly sold diplomatic passports to drug traffickers during his time as foreign minister, according to a US federal indictment.

The indictment alleges that beginning as early as 1999, Maduro and his co-defendants partnered with major international trafficking organisations, including Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel and Los Zetas, Colombian narco-terrorist groups, and the Venezuelan criminal gang Tren de Aragua.

US Federal prosecutors portray Nicolas Ernesto Maduro Guerra as a key orchestrator of a sprawling narcotics network that allegedly leveraged state assets, military personnel, and political influence to transport cocaine from Venezuela to the United States.

Between 2014 and 2015, he reportedly travelled twice a month to Margarita Island aboard a PDVSA Falcon 900 jet, a state-owned aircraft. Before each flight, the plane was allegedly loaded with large, tape-wrapped packages of cocaine, with military personnel fully aware of their contents. One affidavit claims Maduro Guerra boasted the plane could fly "wherever it wanted," even into US airspace.

The indictment alleges that in 2017, Maduro Guerra coordinated shipments of hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Venezuela to Miami, Florida.

Nicolas Ernesto Maduro Guerra, 35, the son of the Venezuelan president, has long been a rising figure within the ruling Chavista movement. Born to Maduro's first wife, Adriana Guerra Angulo, in 1990, he was widely regarded as a potential political successor. A member of Venezuela's National Assembly, Maduro Guerra was also known by the nicknames "Nicolasito" and "The Prince".

Prosecutors say Maduro provided diplomatic passports to traffickers and facilitated private flights to move cocaine proceeds from Mexico to Venezuela, while his son, Nicolas Ernesto Maduro Guerra, allegedly oversaw shipments on the presidential aircraft. Cilia Flores allegedly accepted hundreds of thousands in bribes and brokered access to the National Anti-Drug Office.

Iran, which Trump bombed last year, said it "strongly condemns the US military attack on Venezuela and a flagrant violation of the country's national sovereignty and territorial integrity".

Months before his arrest, Nicolas Maduro had dared US President Donald Trump to "come (to the presidential palace Miraflores) and get him".

"Come get me. I will wait for him here in Miraflores. Don't be late, coward," the 63-year-old leader had said in a fiery speech in August after the US increased the reward for information leading to his arrest.

The White House on Sunday mocked Maduro in a video on X.

The video showed a montage of Maduro taunting the US and footage of the raid to capture the Venezuelan leader and his wife, Cilia Flores.

Nicolas Maduro had his chance — until he didn’t.
The Trump Admin will always defend American citizens against all threats, foreign and domestic. 🇺🇸🦅 pic.twitter.com/eov3GbBXf4

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 4, 2026

India today said the developments in Venezuela are a matter of deep concern and it is closely monitoring the evolving situation, a day after US special forces captured President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores from the capital Caracas in a textbook nighttime airborne raid.

"Recent developments in Venezuela are a matter of deep concern. We are closely monitoring the evolving situation. India reaffirms its support to the well-being and safety of the people of Venezuela. We call upon all concerned to address issues peacefully through dialogue, ensuring peace and stability of the region," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement today.

"The Embassy of India in Caracas is in contact with members of the Indian community and will continue to provide all possible assistance," it added.

Venezuela is unlikely to see any meaningful boost to crude output for years even if US oil majors do invest the billions of dollars in the country that President Donald Trump promised just hours following Nicolas Maduro's capture by US forces.

The South American country may have the world's largest estimated oil reserves, but output has plummeted over the past decades amid mismanagement and a lack of investment from foreign firms after Venezuela nationalised oil operations in the 2000s that included the assets of Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips. 

Any companies that might want to invest there would need to deal with security concerns, dilapidated infrastructure, questions about the legality of the US operation to snatch Maduro and the potential for long-term political instability, analysts told Reuters. 

Former diplomat Shashi Tharoor has given his frank assessment of the US action against Venezuela and its President Nicolas Maduro. It is all about "might is right", the Congress MP who's also the chairman of the parliamentary committee on foreign affairs said in a post on X.

"International law and the UN Charter have for some years now been honoured in the breach. The Law of the Jungle prevails today. 'Might is Right' is the new creed," Tharoor said in response to a post by author Kapil Komireddi.

The author had pointed at the hypocrisy involved in US President Donald Trump's move in Venezuela. 

"All those condoning the gangsterism in Venezuela today will shriek 'international law' and 'UN Charter' when China abducts Taiwan's president," Komireddi said, highlighting how different standards are used in judging nations.

In one of the many scenarios, Trump will proclaim mission accomplished, parade the capture of Maduro as a triumph of American will and rapidly reduce the US footprint. Venezuelan institutions would be left largely intact. Current Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, Interior Minister Remigio Ceballos Ichaso and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López would preside over a reconstituted government that retains its commitment to the style of left-wing governance developed by the late Hugo Chavez, now minus its latest figurehead in Maduro.

This would suit American generals keen to limit US troop exposure, as well as foreign powers anxious to avoid a power vacuum. But it offers little to the Venezuelan opposition or to regional governments that have borne years of refugee flows.

Above all, it would squander the leverage Washington has just expended effort and money to obtain. Having taken the extraordinary step of abducting a head of state, simply reverting to a slightly reshuffled Chavismo would look, even by the standards of foreign American interventions, oddly anticlimactic.

China called on the United States on Sunday to immediately release Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro after Washington carried out a strike on Caracas and captured the leader.

"China calls on the US to ensure the personal safety of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, release them at once, stop toppling the government of Venezuela," the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement, calling the strike a "clear violation of international law".

The stated reasons are migration, drugs, and "narco-terrorism".

Trump has repeatedly linked Venezuela to the arrival of hundreds of thousands of migrants at the US southern border. According to reports, since 2013, close to eight million Venezuelans are estimated to have fled economic collapse and political repression, most resettling elsewhere in Latin America. Without presenting evidence, Trump has accused Maduro of "emptying his prisons and insane asylums" and "forcing" inmates to migrate to the United States -- claims that Caracas categorically rejects.

The second stated reason is drugs. Trump has argued that Venezuela is a major transit route for cocaine and a contributor to the US fentanyl crisis. He has designated two Venezuelan criminal entities -- the Tren de Aragua and the Cartel de los Soles -- as Foreign Terrorist Organisations (FTOs). Trump has alleged that the latter is led by Maduro himself.

Caracas says Washington is weaponising the "war on drugs" to pursue regime change.

The United States lifted airspace restrictions over the Caribbean late on Saturday after barring commercial flights during a US military operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Maduro and his wife were flown by helicopter to New York City, where they face drug-trafficking and weapons charges.

They were seized by US special forces during a pre-dawn attack in which air strikes pounded sites in and around the Venezuelan capital Caracas late on Saturday.

US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a post on social media platform X that the initial restrictions expired at 12:00 am (0500 GMT), when flights could resume as scheduled.

"Airlines are informed, and will update their schedules quickly," Duffy said.

(AFP)

❤️🇻🇪 Venezuela ahora puede tener la prosperidad que merece 🇻🇪❤️

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 3, 2026

Starlink is providing free broadband service to the people of Venezuela through February 3, ensuring continued connectivity, the organisation wrote on X.

Starlink is providing free broadband service to the people of Venezuela through February 3, ensuring continued connectivity.

— Starlink (@Starlink) January 4, 2026

At 4:21 on Saturday morning, President Donald Trump sent a message on his Truth Social platform: the United States had carried out a daring mission to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife.

The action came as a surprise, but according to sources familiar with the matter, planning for one of the most complex U.S. operations in recent memory had been in the works for months and included detailed rehearsals. 

Elite U.S. troops, including the Army's Delta Force, created an exact replica of Maduro's safe house and practiced how they would enter the strongly fortified residence.

The CIA had a small team on the ground starting in August who were able to provide insight into Maduro's pattern of life that made grabbing him seamless, according to one source familiar with the matter. 

"We see Nicolas Maduro defeated," said Juan de Dios Garcia as Shamans in Peru gathered for an annual New Year's ritual on December 29. "Nicolas Maduro will flee Venezuela. He will not be captured."

A new video has surfaced showing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro being escorted by the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) officers inside the agency's headquarters in New York on Saturday.

The video showed the 63-year-old leader, handcuffed and in a black hooded sweatshirt, walking down a hallway with a blue carpet labelled "DEA NYD".

He was also heard saying "good night" and "Happy New Year" to the officials in the room.

On Friday, less than 24 hours before the Venezuela mission, Trump spent almost an hour perusing marble and onyx at an Italian stone importer in a gritty section of Lake Worth Beach for his planned White House ballroom.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro received a warning from his US counterpart Donald Trump to "watch his a**", even as Nicolas Maduro was brought to a prison in New York almost a day after Washington launched military Operation Absolute Resolve in Venezuela.

Trump told reporters, "He's making cocaine and they're sending it into the United States, so he does have to watch his a**." Without mentioning one of his closest allies Maduro, Petro described Washington's actions as an "assault on the sovereignty" of Latin America and said they would result in a humanitarian crisis.

The US launched "Operation Absolute Resolve" to capture Nicolas Maduro. It involved the elite US troops, including the Army's Delta Force, who took about 30 minutes to detain the Venezuelan leader.

Maduro was reportedly dragged into custody while he tried to flee to his steel-enforced safe room. The US said no American troops were killed during the operation.

When asked for a reaction on the US capturing Nicolas Maduro, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky hinted at Putin's arrest.

"How should I react to this? What can I say?" the Ukrainian leader told reporters after meeting with European national security advisers Saturday.

"If it's possible to deal with dictators this way, then the US knows what to do next," he added, suggesting that Trump should handle Putin the same way, as Russia continues its attacks on Ukraine three years after invading the war-torn country.

US intelligence agents had been secretly monitoring leftist Maduro's every movement since August, despite his widely reported efforts to regularly change locations as tensions mounted with Washington.

"How he moved, where he lived, where he traveled, what he ate, what he wore -- what were his pets," Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine said Saturday as he described the surveillance.

The mission also involved months of "pinpoint" planning and rehearsal. Trump said US forces built a replica house identical to the one where Maduro was staying.

The US military was ready by early December but waited for a window of "aligned events," including the weather. Trump said he initially ordered the mission four days ago, but held off for the right conditions.

The United States, which on Saturday attacked Venezuela and is said to have abducted its president, has a long history of military interventions and support for dictatorships in Latin America. 

On multiple occasions the late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez and his successor Nicolas Maduro -- who Donald Trump says is now in US hands -- accused Washington of backing coup attempts. 

Here are the main US interventions in Latin America since the Cold War:

Neither Venezuela nor the United States has released a death toll from the pre-dawn attack that nabbed Maduro, although Trump said no Americans were killed.

In an interview with The New York Post, granted after he gave a press conference to talk about the attack, Trump said, "You know, many Cubans lost their lives last night. Did you know that?"

He added: "Many Cubans lost their lives. They were protecting Maduro. That was not a good move."

Trump did not elaborate on the number of people killed.

A new video has surfaced showing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro being escorted by the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) officers inside the agency's headquarters in lower Manhattan, New York, on Saturday.

URGENTE: Primera fotos y videos del narcotirano Nicolás Maduro #NicolasMaduro preso en New York. Maduro llevado a la oficina de la DEA La mejor noticia del mundo. Gracias Trump 🇺🇸 "VIVA VENEZUELA LIBRE" 🇻🇪 pic.twitter.com/v8zWhPqLnH

— Ape𝕏 (@CubanOnlyTrump) January 4, 2026

First picture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on arrival earlier at New York Stewart International Airport.

The US Congress has the power to declare war, but the president is the commander-in-chief, and presidents of both parties have justified carrying out military action when it was limited in scope and in the national interest.

Trump's Chief of Staff Susie Wiles told Vanity Fair magazine in an interview published late last year that if Trump were to authorise "some activity on land" in Venezuela he would need approval from Congress.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Congress was not notified before Saturday's operation. 

International law prohibits the use of force in international relations except for narrow exceptions such as authorisation by the UN Security Council or in self-defense.

Drug trafficking and gang violence are considered criminal activity and do not rise to the accepted international standard of an armed conflict that would justify a military response, according to legal experts. 

Venezuela high court has ordered Vice President Delcy Rodriguez to assume the presidency 'temporarily' after US captured President Nicolas Maduro.

The court ruling said that Rodríguez would assume "the office of President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, in order to guarantee administrative continuity and the comprehensive defense of the Nation."

A photograph posted by US President Donald Trump on his Truth Social account shows him sitting near US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth as CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Secretary of State Marco Rubio stand in front of a screen showing posts on the X, as they watch the US military operation in Venezuela from Trump's Mar a Lago resort, in Palm Beach, Florida, US.

Fort Tiuna, Venezuela's largest military complex, was among the targets.

The vast base in southern Caracas is home to the defense ministry, a military academy and housing units for thousands of troops and their families.

AFP reporters saw flames and huge plumes of smoke rising from the complex. 

At one of the entrances, which was still guarded, an armored vehicle and a truck were pocked with bullet marks.

La Carlota airbase east of Caracas was also targeted. AFP reporters saw an armored vehicle at the base in flames and a burned bus.

Explosions were also reported in La Guaira, north of Caracas, home to a port and an international airport; the north-central city of Maracay; and Higuerote on the Caribbean coast -- all within 100 kilometers (60 miles) of Caracas.

The first explosions were heard in the capital Caracas and surrounding areas shortly before 2:00 am (0600 GMT), continuing until around 3:15 am on Saturday.

Images on social media showed helicopters silhouetted against the night sky and missiles slamming into targets, creating fireballs and huge plumes of smoke.

Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that the United States had "successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela" and that Maduro and his wife had been "captured and flown out of the Country."

Top US General Dan Caine said the goal of "Operation Absolute Resolve" was purely to seize Maduro, with airstrikes clearing the way for helicopters used in the capture raid.

Caine said the operation, involving more than 150 aircraft, followed months of preparation.

"This is not about drugs or democracy. It is about oil and Donald Trump’s desire to play the regional strongman," said Democrat Kamala Harris on Trump's capture of Nicolas Maduro.

Calling the action "unlawful and unwise", Harris accused Trump of "putting troops at risk, spending billions, destabilising a region, and offering no legal authority, no exit plan, and no benefit at home."

"America needs leadership whose priorities are lowering costs for working families, enforcing the rule of law, strengthening alliances, and — most importantly — putting the American people first," she added in a post on X.

Donald Trump’s actions in Venezuela do not make America safer, stronger, or more affordable.
That Maduro is a brutal, illegitimate dictator does not change the fact that this action was both unlawful and unwise. We’ve seen this movie before. Wars for regime change or oil that…

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) January 4, 2026

Some of the nearly eight million Venezuelans who fled economic collapse and repression under Nicolas Maduro gathered in their thousands in cities worldwide Saturday to celebrate the strongman's ouster by US forces.

Thousands massed in the capitals of Chile, Mexico, Argentina and in Miami, dancing and hugging and waving Venezuelan flags.

"At last we'll be able to go back home," street vendor Yurimar Rojas told AFP, straining to make himself heard over an ebullient crowd gathered in Santiago, many decked out in the Venezuelan national colors of yellow, blue and red.

"This is tremendous for us," celebrated Yasmery Gallardo, 61, who said she planned to return home soon from Chile, where she has lived for eight years.

"I'm already planning my trip... I can't wait to be back in my country!" 

(AFP)

In briefings in November and December by officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, lawmakers said they were told repeatedly that there were no plans for a land invasion inside Venezuela and that the administration was not focused on regime change.

"Because the President and his Cabinet repeatedly denied any intention of conducting regime change in Venezuela when briefing Congress, we are left with no understanding of how the Administration is preparing to mitigate risks to the U.S. and we have no information regarding a long-term strategy following today's extraordinary escalation," Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a statement on Saturday.

"Instead, the Administration consistently misled the American people and their elected representatives by offering three differing and contradictory explanations for its actions," Shaheen said.

Caracas native Rodriguez, 56, was born on May 18, 1969, and is the daughter of left-wing guerrilla fighter Jorge Antonio Rodriguez, who founded the revolutionary Liga Socialista party in the 1970s.

Rodriguez's roles as finance and oil minister, held simultaneously with her vice-presidential post, have made her a key figure in the management of Venezuela's economy and gained her major influence with the country's withered private sector. She has applied orthodox economic policies in a bid to fight exaggerated inflation.

She called on the US government to provide proof of life for Maduro and his wife in an audio message played on state television on Saturday, but her exact whereabouts are unknown.

US President Donald Trump on Saturday brushed aside Nobel Peace Prize-winning opposition leader Maria Corina Machado as a potential interim leader of Venezuela, as he said Washington was working with deposed Nicolas Maduro's vice president.

"I think it would be very tough for her to be the leader. She doesn't have the support within or the respect within the country," Trump told a news conference.

"She's a very nice woman, but she doesn't have the respect."

"The Venezuelan people are today liberated from the dictatorship of Nicolas Maduro and cannot but celebrate it," French President Emmanuel Macron wrote in a post on X.

"By seizing power and trampling on fundamental freedoms, Nicolás Maduro has committed a grave affront against the dignity of his own people. The transition that is now opening must be peaceful, democratic, and respectful of the will of the Venezuelan people. We hope that President Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, elected in 2024, can ensure this transition as soon as possible," he added.

El pueblo venezolano está hoy liberado de la dictadura de Nicolás Maduro y no puede sino celebrarlo.

Al confiscar el poder y pisotear las libertades fundamentales, Nicolás Maduro ha cometido una grave afrenta contra la dignidad de su propio pueblo.
La transición que se abre…

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) January 3, 2026

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said Saturday the government was ready "to defend" the country after an early-morning operation in which the US military seized strongman Nicolas Maduro and his wife.

Rodriguez, who is next in line to succeed Maduro, insisted in a live address that "We are ready to defend Venezuela; we are ready to defend our natural resources" after US President Donald Trump said Washington intends to "run" the Caribbean nation and tap its huge oil reserves.

(AFP)

Venezuela's oil exports, which had fallen to a minimum amid US President Donald Trump's announced blockade of all sanctioned tankers going in and out of the country's waters, are now paralyzed as port captains have not received requests to authorize loaded ships to set sail, four sources close to operations told Reuters on Saturday.

(Reuters)

A convoy carrying captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Saturday arrived at the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) offices in New York.

Spain will not recognise a US intervention in Venezuela that violates international law, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Saturday, after U.S. forces captured long-serving Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in an overnight operation.

"Spain did not recognize the Maduro regime. But neither will it recognize an intervention that violates international law and pushes the region toward a horizon of uncertainty and belligerence", Sanchez wrote on X, after US President Donald Trump announced the US would run the South American country until a "safe" transition was completed.

Sanchez also called on all parties to "think of the civilian population, to respect the United Nations Charter, and to articulate a fair and dialogued transition."

España no reconoció al régimen de Maduro. Pero tampoco reconocerá una intervención que viola el derecho internacional y empuja a la región a un horizonte de incertidumbre y belicismo.
Pedimos a todos los actores que piensen en la población civil, que respeten la Carta de…

— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) January 3, 2026

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani criticised the US attack in Venezuela and said, "A unilateral attack on a sovereign nation is an act of war and a violation of federal and international law. This overt pursuit of regime change not only affects those abroad, but has a direct impact on New York residents, including tens of thousands of Venezuelans who call this city home," he said.

President Donald Trump said he personally watched the US military operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, describing it as an "amazing" mission carried out with speed and precision.

Speaking to "Fox & Friends Weekend" just hours after the operation, Trump said he followed the raid live from Mar-a-Lago. "It's just it was an amazing thing, the amazing job that these people did. There's nobody else who could have done anything like it," he said.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores were seized during a surprise nighttime raid by US forces after being pulled from their bedroom.

Trump says Nobel laureate Machado doesn't have 'support or respect' to run Venezuela

(AFP)

President Donald Trump said Saturday he would allow American oil companies to head into Venezuela to tap its massive crude reserves after a US military operation that seized the country's leader Nicolas Maduro.

"We're going to have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country," Trump told a press conference.

Trump also said "the embargo on all Venezuelan oil remains in full effect."

(AFP)

Trump says US will tap Venezuela's vast oil reserves and sell 'large amounts' to other countries after Maduro ouster.

(AP)

The US military operation to extract Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a nighttime raid in Caracas took "months of planning and rehearsal," and more than 150 US aircraft were used, top US General Dan Caine told reporters Saturday.

"The word integration does not explain the sheer complexity of such a mission, an extraction so precise -- it involved more than 150 aircraft launching across the Western Hemisphere," Caine told a joint press conference with President Donald Trump.

(AFP)

US President Donald Trump made a stunning claim that the US "will run" Venezuela until a "proper and judicious" transition is in effect.

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said on Saturday that the "hour of freedom" had arrived for her country after President Nicolas Maduro was captured by the US forces.

Venezuela's 'hour of freedom' has arrived: opposition leader Machado. Venezuelan opposition leader says 2024 presidential candidate Gonzalez Urrutia must 'assume' presidency

(AFP)

China said on Saturday it firmly opposes US military strikes on Venezuela and the capture of the country's leader Nicolas Maduro, calling it a violation of international law.

"China is deeply shocked and strongly condemns the US's blatant use of force against a sovereign state and its action against its president," Beijing's foreign ministry said in a statement.

"Such hegemonic behaviour by the US seriously violates international law, infringes upon Venezuela's sovereignty, and threatens peace and security in Latin America and the Caribbean. China firmly opposes it," it added.

(AFP)

US President Donald Trump said Saturday that Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro was captured from a highly guarded "fortress", adding that no Americans were killed in the operation.

"He was in a fortress," Trump told Fox News in a telephone interview. 

"You know, that we had nobody killed was amazing," he said, adding that a "couple of guys were hit, but they came back and they're supposed to be in pretty good shape."

(AP)

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were dragged from the bedroom in the middle of the night while they were sleeping by US forces, CNN reported. 

Trump announced the operation in a post on social media, saying the United States had "successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro." Trump said Maduro and his wife had been "captured and flown out of the Country," adding that the operation was conducted "in conjunction with US Law Enforcement."

US President Donald Trump said that the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife are aboard the USS Iwo Jima and are heading to New York. 

“Yes, the Iwo Jima, they’re on a ship. They’ll be heading into New York. The helicopters took them out, and they went by helicopter in a nice flight — I’m sure they loved it. But they’ve, they’ve killed a lot of people, remember that", Trump told Fox News.

Maduro will face charges in Manhattan federal court after being transported to New York. US Attorney General Pam Bondi said that Maduro has been indicted on drugs and weapons charges.

US Attorney General Pam Bondi says deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, will face criminal charges after an indictment in New York.

US President Donald Trump said that he approved the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro several days ago and that the mission was carried out by the Delta Force of the army, per CNN.

Maduro's location was tracked by the CIA.

The United States launched what President Donald Trump described as 'large-scale strikes against Venezuela' on Saturday, an action that was said to be carried out "in conjunction with US law enforcement".

The United States hit Venezuela with a "large-scale strike" early Saturday and said President Nicolas Maduro had been captured and flown out of the country after months of stepped-up pressure by Washington. Many countries including Colombia, Russia, and Iran have reacted to Maduro's capture. Read more

The Venezuelan government has sought a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting after US carried out strikes. 

"Faced with the criminal aggression committed by the US government against our homeland, we have requested an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council, which is responsible for upholding international law," Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said on Telegram.

The residents of Caracas today were jolted awake by a short, violent sequence of explosions and the roar of low-flying aircraft. Within hours, an extraordinary claim followed from Florida: President Donald Trump said United States forces had carried out a "large-scale strike" on Venezuela and captured its president, Nicolas Maduro, flying him out of the country in a joint operation with US law enforcement agencies. Read more

US Senator Mike Lee, quoting Secretary of State Marco Rubio, said on Saturday that Washington completed its military action in Venezuela following the capture of President Nicolas Maduro. 

"He (Rubio) anticipates no further action in Venezuela now that Maduro is in US custody," Senator Lee said in a post on social media. 

Just got off the phone with @SecRubio
He informed me that Nicolás Maduro has been arrested by U.S. personnel to stand trial on criminal charges in the United States, and that the kinetic action we saw tonight was deployed to protect and defend those executing the arrest warrant… https://t.co/lXCxhPoKSZ

— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) January 3, 2026

The Russian Foreign Ministry on Saturday condemned the US strikes inside Venezuela, saying that there was no tenable justification for the attack and that "ideological hostility" prevailed over diplomacy.

"This morning, the United States committed an act of armed aggression against Venezuela. This is deeply concerning and condemnable. Ideological hostility has triumphed over businesslike pragmatism," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

The Spanish government has offered to mediate for a peaceful solution in Venezuela following US strikes. 

"Spain calls for de-escalation and restraint. In this regard..., it is prepared to offer its good offices to achieve a peaceful, negotiated solution to the current crisis," the Spanish Foreign Ministry said in a statement. 

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez has said that the location of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores is unknown. "We do not know the whereabouts of President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores, We demand proof of life," Vice President Rodriguez told on state TV.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has said that his country has deployed troops to the Venezuelan border after US conducted strikes inside Venezuela. 

Saturday's US strikes in Venezuela are the first intervention by Washington in Latin America since its invasion of Panama in 1989 to depose military leader Manuel Antonio Noriega.

The US has accused Nicolas Maduro of running a "narco-state" and rigging an election. Maduro, meanwhile, has said that Washington wants to take control of its oil reserves, which are the largest in the world. 

Donald Trump has confirmed that the US carried out a "large-scale strike" on Venezuela. 

Hours after United States carried out strikes inside Venezuela, President Donald Trump said that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife have been captured and flown out of the country.

The US Embassy in Colombia's Bogota said on Sunday that it was aware of explosions in parts of Venezuela. In a statement, the embassy warned US citizens not to travel to Venezuela. 

"Venezuela has the highest Travel Advisory level – Level 4: Do Not Travel – due to severe risks to Americans, including wrongful detention, torture in detention, terrorism, kidnapping, arbitrary enforcement of local laws, crime, civil unrest, and poor health infrastructure," the embassy said in a statement. 

The Iranian government on Saturday condemned the explosions in Venezuela reportedly carried out by the US. 

In a statement, the Iranian foreign ministry said, "strongly condemns the American military attack on Venezuela and the flagrant violation of the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country".

In a statement, the Venezuelan government said that the goal of Sunday's explosions was for the US to take possession of the country's oil and minerals. Venezuela said that Washington would not succeed in taking the resources. 

The US has officially confirmed that it is carrying out strikes inside Venezuela, the news agency Reuters reported on Sunday citing an official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. 

Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro has declared state of emergency after explosions were heard in parts of the country. 

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a NOTAM (Notice To Airmen) prohibiting American aircraft from operating at all altitudes within Venezuelan airspace.

Amid reports of explosions around Caracas, the US FAA issued a new NOTAM prohibiting US aircraft from operating at all altitudes within Venezuelan airspace as of 0600Z today, 3 Jan.
Flightradar24 is not currently tracking any aircraft over Venezuela.https://t.co/BZhEhwjD1j pic.twitter.com/AEyB7o2Je1

— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) January 3, 2026

Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on Saturday that his country was deeply concerned about the explosions in Venezuela.

"As a preventive measure, the National Government has arranged measures to protect the civilian population, preserve stability on the Colombian-Venezuelan border, and promptly address any eventual humanitarian or migratory needs, in coordination with local authorities and competent organizations," President Petro said in a post on X.

El Gobierno de la República de Colombia observa con profunda preocupación los reportes sobre explosiones y actividad aérea inusual registrados en las últimas horas en la República Bolivariana de Venezuela, así como la consecuente escalada de tensión en la región.
Colombia…

— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) January 3, 2026

American media has now reported that the US military is conducting military strikes against Venezuela. 

Many buildings were seen on fire, and a column of smoke was visible after multiple explosions were heard in Venezuela's capital, Caracas, on Saturday.

Videos on social media showed buildings on fire across the city. Loud explosions, accompanied by sounds resembling aircraft flyovers, were heard around 2:00 am (local time).

Some reports also claimed that a massive explosion was heard near Higuerote Airport in Miranda in northern Venezuela.

Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro has declared a state of emergency in the country after explosions in capital Caracas.

Venezuela has rejected "military aggression" by the United States, the government of President Nicolas Maduro said in a statement early Saturday, reported Reuters.

Attacks took place in the capital of Caracas and the states of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira, the statement said, prompting Maduro to declare a national emergency and call on social and political forces to "activate mobilization plans."

Many buildings were on fire, and a column of smoke was visible after huge explosions in Venezuela's capital, Caracas, on Saturday.

Multiple secondary explosions seen, while flames and smoke emanate from the Port of Caracas in Venezuela. pic.twitter.com/R8OJ4CsdHO

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) January 3, 2026

Colombian President Gustavo Petro, in a post on X, said Caracas has been "bombed by missiles".

"Right now they are bombing Caracas. Alert to the whole world, they have attacked Venezuela. They are bombing with missiles. The OAS and the UN must meet immediately," he said.