U.S. Strikes Venezuela as Trump Claims Capture of Maduro

Overview

• Explosions and military activity were reported overnight in Caracas and in the states of Miranda, La Guaira and Aragua, and Venezuela declared a state of emergency with power and communications disruptions.
• Trump said Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores were seized and flown out of the country to face U.S. narcotrafficking and terrorism charges, while Venezuela’s vice president said their whereabouts are unknown and demanded proof of life.
• Trump announced the U.S. intends to oversee Venezuela until a “peaceful” transition and to open the oil sector to American companies, and he warned of a possible larger second wave of strikes.
• Brazil convened an emergency meeting to gather information, as Colombia and Cuba condemned the operation and Argentina’s Javier Milei praised it, with regional bodies urged to meet.
• The operation capped a months‑long U.S. buildup in the Caribbean that included the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier group, reactivation of Roosevelt Roads in Puerto Rico, and prior strikes on suspected drug vessels and a reported CIA drone hit on a remote pier.