Overview
- U.S. forces carried out a roughly 30-minute aerial operation over Caracas, with reports of low-flying aircraft and smoke rising from a military base hangar.
- President Trump said Nicolás Maduro and his wife were seized by elite special forces, and Venezuelan authorities declared a national emergency.
- Russia denounced the strikes as an act of armed aggression, while EU security chief Kaja Kallas urged restraint and respect for the UN Charter.
- UK figures including Jeremy Corbyn, Zack Polanski and Sir Ed Davey urged the prime minister to condemn the action, as Nigel Farage called it unorthodox and contrary to international law.
- Chatham House legal expert Marc Weller argued the operation lacks a lawful basis under international law, dismissing counter-narcotics rationales as insufficient.