US President Donald Trump has claimed that Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been captured after the large-scale strike in Caracas on Saturday.
In an announcement posted to Truth Social Trump said, "The United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country. This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement."
He also said that there will be a news conference at "11 A.M., at Mar-a-Lago."
The capture was confirmed by the US army's Delta Force who spoke to the BBC.
The attack targetted several locations across the capital city. Right before Trump announced that Maduro was captured, Venezuela had annouced a state of national emergency and rejected the "military agression" by the United States. It called on the population to mobilise to "defeat this imperialist aggression" by the US.
Interior and Justice Minister Diosdado Cabello was reported dead during the attack by some local media outlets.
El Gobierno de la República de Colombia observa con profunda preocupación los reportes sobre explosiones y actividad aérea inusual registrados en las últimas horas en la República Bolivariana de Venezuela, así como la consecuente escalada de tensión en la región.
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) January 3, 2026
Colombia…
#Cuba denuncia y demanda URGENTE reacción de la comunidad internacional contra criminal ataque de E.U a #Venezuela. Nuestra #ZonaDePaz está siendo brutalmente asaltada. Terrorismo de Estado contra el bravo pueblo venezolano y contra Nuestra América.
— Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (@DiazCanelB) January 3, 2026
Patria o Muerte ¡Venceremos!
Cuba’s President Miguel Diaz-Canel and Colombian President Gustavo Petro both condemned the overnight strikes on Venezuela. While Colombia does not recognise Maduro's government it is opposed to US military intervention. Colombia also shares a border with Venezuela. Cuba, meanwhile, is one of the few countries allied with Caracas.
Strikes on Caracas was to happen on Christmas but was postponed
US military officials say that Trump approved the strikes on Venezuela a few days ago. "President Trump gave the US military the green light to launch ground strikes on Venezuela a few days before the operation itself began," the officials were quoted as saying by CBS News.
Sources also say that military officials discussed the possibility of conducting a mission in Caracas on Christmas. However the it was postponed to prioritise the US airstrike in Nigeria on ISIS targets.
Opportunities had arrived in the days after Christmas, but the operation was postponed again due to adverse weather conditions. On Christmas, ever trump had cautioned that if Maduro "plays tough, it'll be the last time he'll ever be able to play tough."
Officials said the US military needed favourable weather conditions for the operation to succeed.
The US military had months of build-up in the region with the USS Gerald R Ford aircraft carrier and numerous other warships positioned in the Caribbean.
The country had also seized two oil tankers off Venezuela and launched attacks on more than 30 boats, which the government said carried drugs.
Venezuela's air defences are working over the city, and military equipment has been deployed on the streets.
