Caracas — The United States carried out large-scale military strikes in Venezuela early Friday, capturing President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in a dramatic operation that has sharply escalated tensions in the Western Hemisphere.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced that American forces launched an operation named “Absolute Resolve”, targeting strategic locations in Caracas and surrounding areas. According to Trump, elite Delta Force units, supported by CIA intelligence, detained Maduro and Flores and transported them to the USS Iwo Jima, where they are being held before transfer to the United States to face narco-terrorism and drug trafficking charges in New York.
Explosions were reported across the Venezuelan capital before dawn, with residents describing low-flying aircraft, helicopters, and heavy smoke rising near Fort Tiuna, a major military complex. Reuters photographers documented empty highways and visible damage in parts of Caracas as the strikes unfolded.
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez confirmed that Maduro and Flores are missing and demanded “proof of life,” accusing the United States of committing an act of armed aggression and violating Venezuela’s sovereignty. The Venezuelan government declared a nationwide state of emergency, while security forces were placed on high alert.
In a press conference in Washington, Trump said the United States would temporarily oversee Venezuela “until a safe, proper, and judicious political transition can be achieved,” though he offered few details about future governance. He justified the intervention by citing alleged Venezuelan state involvement in large-scale cocaine trafficking and terrorism, as well as U.S. plans to develop Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.
The operation follows months of escalating U.S. pressure on Venezuela, including naval deployments, sanctions, oil tanker seizures, and targeted strikes against alleged drug-smuggling vessels linked to the Tren de Aragua gang and the Cartel de los Soles, which the Trump administration has designated as foreign terrorist organizations.
International reaction has been swift and divided. Several Latin American governments expressed concern over the use of force, while Russia and China condemned the operation as illegal and destabilizing. The United Nations Security Council is expected to convene an emergency session at Venezuela’s request.
The capture of Maduro marks the most dramatic U.S. military intervention in Latin America in decades and raises urgent questions about regional stability, international law, and the future of Venezuela, a country already devastated by years of economic collapse, political repression, and mass migration.
As of Saturday morning, protests were reported in parts of Caracas, while celebrations erupted among some members of the Venezuelan diaspora in Miami, where demonstrators waved Venezuelan and U.S. flags in response to the news.