Trump says U.S. strikes Venezuela, captures President Nicolas Maduro
- SAUDI ARABIA BREAKING NEWS
- Jan 3
- 3 min read
Washington, January 3, 2026 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday the United States carried out a large-scale strike in Venezuela and captured long-serving President Nicolas Maduro, escalating pressure on the Venezuelan leader over U.S. accusations of drug-running and illegitimacy in power.
Washington has not made such a direct intervention in Latin America since the 1989 invasion of Panama to depose military leader Manuel Noriega, carried out over similar allegations.
In a Truth Social post, Trump said the United States had “successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leaders,” and that Maduro and his wife had been captured and flown out of the country.
Ahead of the overnight strike, the United States had accused Maduro of running a “narco-state” and rigging last year’s election, which the opposition said it won overwhelmingly. Maduro, who took power in 2013 after the death of Hugo Chavez, has said Washington wants control of Venezuela’s oil reserves, the largest in the world.
Venezuela’s government said civilians and military personnel died in the strikes but did not provide figures.
Trump said the operation was carried out “in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement,” and said more details would be provided at an 11 a.m. (1600 GMT) press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
Maduro was captured by elite special forces troops, a U.S. official told Reuters.
Republican U.S. Senator Mike Lee said Secretary of State Marco Rubio had told him Maduro would stand trial on criminal charges in the United States, adding Rubio anticipated no further action in Venezuela now that Maduro is in U.S. custody.
Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, who would take charge of government, said she did not know the whereabouts of Maduro or his wife, and demanded proof of life for both.
Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino condemned the intervention and rejected what he described as the presence of foreign troops, while Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello urged Venezuelans not to cooperate with what he called a “terrorist enemy,” according to state media.
While various Latin American governments oppose Maduro and say he stole the 2024 election, direct U.S. action revives memories of past interventions and is generally strongly opposed across the region, analysts say.
The Venezuelan opposition, headed by Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado, said it had no official comment on events.
Explosions rocked Caracas and other areas in the early hours on Saturday, prompting Maduro’s government to declare a national emergency and mobilize troops, while Reuters witnesses reported blasts, aircraft, black smoke and a power outage affecting the southern area of Caracas near a major military base.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau wrote on X: “A new dawn for Venezuela! The tyrant is gone.”
Venezuelan allies Russia, Cuba and Iran condemned the strikes, and Tehran called for the U.N. Security Council to intervene to stop what it described as unlawful aggression.
It was unclear under what legal authority the U.S. strikes were carried out, and Trump’s move risks political backlash at home, including from members of Congress and segments of his political base opposed to foreign intervention.
MST Marquee analyst Saul Kavonic said oil prices were likely to jump on near-term supply risks, though the move could be bearish in the medium term if a new Venezuelan government results in sanctions being lifted and renewed foreign investment.
