Overview
- Trump detailed an overnight mission in Caracas he said used special operations forces and roughly 150 aircraft, claimed the capital’s power was cut during the assault, and reported no U.S. fatalities.
- Trump said Nicolás Maduro and his wife were captured and removed, posted a photo he said showed Maduro in U.S. custody, and indicated he would be brought to New York with the detention site and trial venue still to be decided.
- Venezuelan authorities said they do not know the president’s whereabouts and requested an emergency UN Security Council meeting to address what they called U.S. aggression.
- Trump explicitly tied U.S. control to securing Venezuela’s oil resources, said American companies would rebuild the industry, and kept the oil embargo in place until unspecified demands are met.
- Russia voiced deep alarm over reports of forced removal, European and Latin American politicians condemned the action, and several U.S. lawmakers labeled the operation illegal.