What we know about US strikes on Venezuela
André Rhoden-PaulAnd
BBC Verification
ReutersUS President Donald Trump said that the US captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro after a large-scale attack on the South American country.
Trump said Venezuela’s leftist president and his wife were taken out of the country in a military operation carried out together with US law enforcement. They are charged with drug and weapons crimes in New York.
This comes after explosions were reported in the capital Caracas early Saturday morning, including at military bases.
The Venezuelan government has since demanded proof that Maduro is alive. He also deployed his armed forces and declared a national emergency.
Maduro’s capture follows rising tensions between the two countries after Washington attacked boats it claimed were used to transport drugs in the Caribbean.
US blames Venezuelan president While it was alleged that he was personally involved in drug trafficking and was an illegitimate leader, Maduro accused the United States of intimidation.
This is what we know so far.
What do we know about the operation?
There are few details about Maduro’s capture. Trump did not say how Venezuelan president is doing Was he detained or taken to where?
According to BBC’s US news partner CBS, Maduro was captured by the Delta force, the US military’s top unit in the fight against terrorism.
Trump will hold a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida at 11 a.m. EST (16:00 GMT), at which more details about the operation will be revealed.
Speaking to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Republican Senator Mike Lee said: [Rubio] No further action is foreseen in Venezuela as Maduro is detained in the United States, adding that the attacks were “organized to protect and defend those executing the arrest warrant.”
At around 02:00 local time (06:00 GMT), loud explosions were heard in Caracas, while clouds of smoke were seen rising over the city.
Videos of explosions and helicopters flying overhead are circulating on social media, but these have not yet been confirmed.
Surrounding communities were also without electricity.
It is not known whether there was any loss of life.
The Venezuelan government also said the states of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira were also hit.
Where were the strikes?
AFP via Getty ImagesBBC Verify is working on a series of videos showing explosions, fires and smoke in places around Caracas to determine exactly which areas were targeted.
It has confirmed three locations so far:
- Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda Air Base, an airport known as La Carlota
- Port La Guaira, Caracas’ main channel to the Caribbean Sea, located in the province of Miranda
- Higuerote Airport is located in the province of Miranda, just east of Caracas.
What did Donald Trump say?
ReutersTrump used the Truth Social platform to confirm that the United States was behind the attacks on Saturday morning.
“The United States has successfully carried out a large-scale attack against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who was captured and sent out of the country with his wife,” Trump said.
“This operation was carried out together with the US Law Enforcement Agency. We will follow the details.”
The US president called it a “fantastic operation” in a 50-second phone call to the New York Times.
Asked what he envisioned for Venezuela, he said: “You’ll hear all about it at 11 o’clock.”
What is Maduro accused of?
US Attorney Pam Bondi said that a lawsuit was filed against Maduro and his wife, First Lady Cilia Flores, in the Southern District of New York.
They are charged with conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism and import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices against the United States.
“They will soon face the full wrath of American justice in American courts on American soil,” Bondi wrote to X.
It is unclear whether the couple is currently on US soil.
How did Venezuela react?
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez said the government did not know the whereabouts of Maduro and his wife and demanded “immediate proof of life” for both.
The country’s defense minister, Vladimir Padrino López, claimed that the attacks targeted civilian areas and said the government was compiling information on the dead and injured.
He added that Venezuela would “resist” the presence of foreign troops.
The Venezuelan government issued an official statement condemning the “extremely serious military aggression” by the United States “against Venezuelan territory and populations in civilian and military areas.”
He also accused the United States of threatening international peace and stability and described the attack as an attempt to seize “Venezuela’s strategic resources, especially its oil and minerals” in order to “break by force the political independence of the nation.”
Who is Maduro and why was he caught?
Nicolás Maduro rose to prominence under the leadership of leftist President Hugo Chávez and his United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV). He succeeded Chavez as president in 2013.
Maduro in 2024 The winner of the presidential election was declaredEven though the opposition polls show that its candidate, Edmundo González, won by a landslide.
it exists We had a disagreement with Trump on the arrival of hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan immigrants to the United States and the movement of drugs, primarily fentanyl and cocaine, into the United States.
Trump designated two Venezuelan drug gangs – Tren de Aragua and Cartel de los Soles – as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) and claimed that the latter was led by Maduro himself.
The US had offered a reward of $50 million (£37 million) for information leading to Maduro’s arrest.
Maduro has vehemently denied being a cartel leader and accused the United States of using its “war on drugs” as an excuse to oust him and seize Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.
In recent months, US forces have also carried out more than two dozen strikes He claims it was used to smuggle drugs into the United States via boats in international waters. More than 100 people were killed.
How did other countries react?
News of the attack drew the strongest reaction from Venezuela’s long-term allies.
Russia accused the United States of committing an “act of armed aggression” that was “deeply alarming and reprehensible.”
of Iran The State Department called the attacks a “blatant violation of the country’s national sovereignty.”
Colombian President Gustavo Petro called the attacks an “attack on the sovereignty” of Latin America, while Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel called it a “criminal attack.”
The EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, reiterated the bloc’s position that Maduro lacks legitimacy and there should be a peaceful transition of power, but said the principles of international law must be respected.
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he wanted to “set out the facts” and speak to Trump first about the “rapidly moving situation”.
