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The United States launched a “massive attack” on Venezuela early Saturday and said its president had been captured and deported from the country. months of intense pressure An extraordinary nighttime operation was announced on social media by President Donald Trump hours after the attack – on the government of Nicolás Maduro.
The legal authority for the strike — and whether Trump had consulted Congress first — was not immediately clear. The stunning, lightning-quick US military action that ousted a country’s sitting leader echoed the US invasion of Panama, which led to the surrender and seizure of its leader, Manuel Antonio Noriega, in 1990 – exactly 36 years ago Saturday.
Several explosions occurred and low-flying aircraft flew over the Venezuelan capital, and Maduro’s government accused the United States of attacking civilian and military installations, calling it an “imperialist attack” and urging citizens to take to the streets.
With Maduro’s whereabouts unknown, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez will take power under Venezuelan law. There has been no confirmation as to what happened, although they did release a statement after the strike.
“We do not know the whereabouts of President Nicolás Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores,” Rodriguez said. “We ask for proof of life.”
Trump said, “Maduro has been captured along with his wife and deported from the country. This operation was carried out in conjunction with US law enforcement.” He scheduled a press conference for later Saturday morning.
The attack lasted less than 30 minutes and the explosions – at least seven explosions – sent people running into the streetsWhile others took to social media to report what they saw and heard. It was not known whether there were any deaths or injuries on either side or whether further action was imminent, although Trump said in his post that the strikes were “successful”.
Senator Mike Lee, R-Utah, posted on Twitter that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had briefed him about the strike and said that Maduro “has been arrested by US personnel pending trial on criminal charges in the United States.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a question about where Maduro and his wife were being taken. Maduro was convicted of “narco-terrorism” conspiracy charges in March 2020.
Maduro last appeared on state television on Friday when he met with a delegation of Chinese officials in Caracas.
The attack comes after months of increased pressure on Maduro by the Trump administration, including a major buildup of U.S. troops in waters off South America and attacks on boats carrying drugs in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean. Last week the CIA was behind this drone strike The docking area is believed to be used by Venezuelan drug cartels – the first known direct operation on Venezuelan soil since the US launched the attack in September.
According to the Trump administration, the number of known boat attacks as of Friday was 35 and the death toll was at least 115. Trump said America is engaged in a “Armed conflict” with drug cartels. and there are boat attacks justified It is necessary to stop the flow of drugs into America
Maduro has condemned US military operations, calling them covert. attempt to oust them from power,
Some streets in Caracas were flooded
Armed men and uniformed members of civilian militias took to the streets of a Caracas neighborhood long considered a ruling party stronghold. But in other areas of the city, streets remained empty even hours after the attack. There was no electricity in some parts of the city, but vehicles continued to move uninterrupted.
Video from Caracas and an unidentified coastal city shows the landscape covered in clouds and smoke, while repeated, slow explosions illuminate the night sky. Other footage shows an urban landscape with cars passing on a highway and explosions illuminating the hills behind them. Indistinct conversations can be heard in the background. The video was verified by the Associated Press.
Smoke was seen rising from a hangar at a military base in Caracas, while another military installation in the capital was without power.
“The whole ground shook. It’s terrible. We heard explosions and planes,” said Carmen Hidalgo, a 21-year-old office worker, her voice trembling. She was walking briskly while returning from a birthday party with two relatives. “We felt like the wind was hitting us.”
The Venezuelan government responded to the attack with a call to action. “People in the streets!” This was said in a statement. “The Bolivarian Government calls on all social and political forces in the country to activate mobilization plans and reject this imperialist attack.”
The statement said Maduro had “ordered the implementation of all national defense plans” and declared a “state of external disturbance.” That state of emergency gives him the power to suspend the rights of the people and expand the role of the armed forces.
The website of the US Embassy in Venezuela, a post that has been closed since 2019, issued a warning to US citizens in the country, saying it was “aware of reports of explosions in and around Caracas.”
“U.S. citizens in Venezuela should shelter in place,” the warning said.
reaction begins to emerge
Inquiries to the Pentagon and US Southern Command following Trump’s social media posts remained unanswered. The FAA warned all commercial and private US pilots that the airspace over Venezuela and Curaçao, the small island nation just off the country’s coast to the north, is off limits “due to flight safety risks associated with ongoing military activity.”
Lee posted his potential concerns, reflecting the viewpoint of the right wing in Congress. “I am curious to know what, if anything, could constitutionally justify this action in the absence of a declaration of war or authorization for the use of military force,” Lee said on
It is unclear whether the US Congress was officially informed about the attacks.
The armed services committees in both houses of Congress, which have jurisdiction over military matters, have not been informed by the administration about any action, according to a person familiar with the matter and who requested anonymity to discuss it.
Lawmakers from both political parties in Congress have expressed strong objection to U.S. strikes on boats suspected of drug trafficking near the Venezuelan coast, and Congress has not specifically approved authorization for the use of military force for such operations in the region.
Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said the military action and the seizure of Maduro symbolized “a new dawn for Venezuela”, adding that “the tyrant is gone.” He posted on X a few hours after the strike. His boss, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, reposted a post from July that said Maduro “is not the president of Venezuela and his regime is not the legitimate government.”
Cuba, a supporter of the Maduro government and a longtime adversary of the United States, called on the international community to respond to what President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez called a “criminal attack.” “Our peace zone is being brutally attacked,” he said on Twitter. Iran’s Foreign Ministry also condemned the attacks.
Argentina’s President Javier Mellí, a close ally, praised Trump’s claim that Maduro had been captured with the political slogan he often uses to celebrate right-wing progress: “Long live freedom, damn it!”
US forces have been attacking boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean since early September. The number of known boat attacks as of Friday is 35 and the number of people killed is at least 115, according to numbers announced by the Trump administration.
he followed a chief American military gathering In South American waters, including arrivals in November The country’s most advanced aircraft carrierwhich added thousands more troops, adding to what was already the largest military presence in the region in generations.
Trump has boat attacks justified as a necessary escalation to stop the flow of drugs into the US and stressed that the US is engaged in “Armed conflict” with drug cartels.,
Toropin and AP journalist Lisa Mascaro reported from Washington.