U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that American forces carried out what he described as a “large-scale, successful strike” against Venezuela, claiming that President Nicolás Maduro and his wife were arrested and flown out of the country.
Multiple explosions were heard in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, in the early hours of Saturday, according to witnesses cited by Reuters. The agency also reported power outages in southern areas of the city near a major military base.
U.S. officials told CBS News that members of Delta Force, the U.S. military’s elite special operations unit, detained Maduro during the operation. Delta Force previously took part in the 2019 raid that killed former ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez demanded proof that Maduro and his wife were alive, stating that authorities had no information about his whereabouts.
Venezuela’s defense minister described the incident as the “largest attack and aggression” in the country’s history, holding the United States responsible and vowing continued resistance. He said Venezuela would not negotiate or concede and urged citizens to avoid what he called attempts to push the country into chaos.
The defense ministry also announced a general military mobilization, placing all armed forces units on full alert.
Meanwhile, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil said the country had requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss what he described as U.S. attacks, calling for respect for international law.
Separately, CNN reported that the CIA had been tracking Maduro’s location for months following authorization from Trump for covert operations in Venezuela, adding that Maduro’s arrest was intended to pave the way for his trial in the United States.
