President Donald Trump confirmed early Saturday morning that the United States “successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela” and claimed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were “captured and flown out of the Country.”
Trump announced Truth Social just before 4:30 a.m. Saturday, hours after several explosions were heard in Venezuela’s capital city of Caracas, according to videos and photos showing smoke and fireballs in the night sky over the city.
Trump said the operation was carried out in conjunction with U.S. law enforcement and said he would hold a news conference at 11 a.m. at Mar-a-Lago.
“The United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader,” he said.
Venezuela has not confirmed Maduro’s whereabouts.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) expressed his displeasure at the news of the strikes, seeking answers from the White House and Trump.
“I look forward to learning what, if anything, might constitutionally justify this action in the absence of a declaration of war or authorization for the use of military force,” Lee wrote on X.
Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz) said there was “no reason for us to be at war with Venezuela.”
“This war is illegal; it’s embarrassing that we went from the world cop to the world bully in less than one year,” he said.
The strikes come amid rising tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela, including the targeting of alleged drug-smuggling boats. The Federal Aviation Administration has issued an alert prohibiting U.S. civil aircraft from flying over Venezuela “due to safety-of-flight risks associated with ongoing military activity,” according to the FAA.
The Venezuelan government issued a statement condemning what it called “the grave military aggression perpetrated by the current government of the United States of America” in Caracas and the states of Miranda, Aragua, and La Guaira.
“This act constitutes a flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter, especially Articles 1 and 2, which enshrine respect for sovereignty, the legal equality of states, and the prohibition of the use of force. Such aggression threatens international peace and stability, specifically in Latin America and the Caribbean, and places the lives of millions of people at grave risk,” the statement read.
Trump has pressed Maduro to step down, and on Dec. 18 told NBC News he was leaving the possibility of a war with the country on the table.
TeleSUR, a Venezuelan state TV channel, on a post on X, shared a statement from the Venezuelan government.
“Venezuela denounces the United States’ aggression against Venezuelan territory and population in the civil and military locations in the city of Caracas, the states Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira,” the official communication from the government said.
This is a developing story and will be updated with more information.
