Photo: STR / AFP / Getty Images
Caracas, Venezuela — January 3, 2026
The United States carried out a series of military strikes across Venezuela early Saturday, targeting key military installations and infrastructure in what officials described as a “large-scale operation.” The strikes mark a dramatic escalation in tensions between Washington and Caracas.
Residents in the capital reported hearing multiple explosions overnight, with blasts near La Carlota air base and Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela’s largest military complex. Other strikes were confirmed in Miranda, Aragua, and La Guaira states, according to local sources.
President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured during the operation and flown out of the country. Trump said the mission involved elite U.S. forces and was coordinated with law enforcement agencies. U.S. officials later confirmed that Delta Force units were deployed for the raid.
The operation follows months of mounting pressure on Maduro’s government. The U.S. previously deployed naval assets to the Caribbean, intercepted oil tankers, and accused Maduro of running a narcotics network tied to criminal organizations. Maduro has repeatedly denied the allegations.
Venezuelan authorities condemned the strikes as “imperialist aggression” and declared a national emergency. Reports from Caracas indicated fires and power outages in several neighborhoods. Maduro, before his reported capture, called for mass mobilization against what he described as a foreign invasion.
Regional leaders reacted swiftly. Colombia urged the Organization of American States and the United Nations to intervene, while Cuba and other Latin American governments denounced the U.S. action as a violation of international law.
Trump made the announcement in a social media post that said he will host a news conference in Mar-a-Lago at 11am. Analysts warn the strikes could trigger significant instability across Latin America and raise questions about the legality of military action without congressional approval.
The operation marks Washington’s most direct military intervention in Latin America since the 1989 invasion of Panama, which resulted in the overthrow of military ruler Manuel Noriega on similar narcotics-related accusations.