President Donald Trump announced early Saturday that the United States has carried out a major strike against Venezuela, resulting in the capture and removal of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife.
Trump shared the news on Truth Social, writing, “The United States of America has successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolás Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the country.”
CNN reporters in Caracas witnessed multiple explosions and heard aircraft overhead in the early hours of Saturday, while several parts of the city experienced power outages. The first blast occurred around 1:50 a.m. local time (12:50 a.m. ET).
In the weeks leading up to the strike, Trump repeatedly warned that the US was preparing action against alleged drug trafficking networks in Venezuela and that land-based strikes would begin “soon.”
Trump’s recent operations against Maduro include the destruction of more than 30 vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean as part of a counter-narcotics campaign. Last month, he also imposed a blockade on sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.
In December, the CIA reportedly carried out a drone strike on a Venezuelan coastal port facility, marking the first known US attack on a target inside the country, CNN reported, citing sources.
