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The fire at Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela’s largest military complex, is seen from afar after a series of explosions in Caracas on January 3, 2026.
Str | Afp | Getty Images
US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the United States carried out a large-scale strike in Venezuela that resulted in the capture and removal of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Maduro and his wife were captured and expelled from the country following the operation, which was carried out in coordination with U.S. law enforcement, Trump said in a statement on Truth Social. No further details were provided.
CBS News reported that the US military’s elite Delta Force unit was involved in Maduro’s capture.
There was no immediate confirmation from the Venezuelan government. However, Maduro’s official Facebook page posted a video stating that attacks took place in the states of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira, according to a translation of the statement into Spanish.
The statement in the video added that the United States would fail to achieve its goal of possessing Venezuela’s oil and minerals, and that Maduro had declared a state of national emergency and mobilized defense forces.
Explosions were reported in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, around 2 a.m. local time (0600 GMT), according to images circulating on social media that could not be independently verified.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to take action against Maduro. On December 23, 2025, he said it would be “smart” for Maduro to leave power.
Trump said in his post on Truth Social that a press conference was planned for 11 a.m. at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
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