WASHINGTON/CARACAS, January 3, 2026, 06:37 ET
- Trump says U.S. carried out a “large scale” strike and Maduro was flown out of Venezuela
- Caracas says civilians and military personnel were killed, without providing figures
- PDVSA operations said to be running normally as markets watch for oil export disruption
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday the United States carried out a large-scale strike in Venezuela and captured President Nicolas Maduro, after overnight explosions hit Caracas and other areas. Venezuela’s government condemned what it called military aggression and said civilians and soldiers died, without giving figures.
The operation marks the most direct U.S. intervention in Latin America since the 1989 invasion of Panama to depose Manuel Noriega and risks widening a regional crisis. It also puts new focus on how far Washington is prepared to go to force political change in the South American nation.
Washington has spent months tightening pressure on Maduro with sanctions and a maritime effort it has called a blockade, aimed at stopping Venezuelan oil exports. A blockade is an effort to deter or intercept shipments by sea.
Blasts, aircraft and black smoke were visible across Caracas from about 2 a.m. local time for roughly 90 minutes, Reuters witnesses said. Venezuela said attacks also hit the states of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira and declared a national emergency.
In a Truth Social post, Trump said Maduro and his wife were “captured and flown out of the country” and said the operation was done with U.S. law enforcement. Trump said he would provide more detail at an 11 a.m. news conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. CBS News
A U.S. official told Reuters Maduro was captured by elite special forces troops. Republican Senator Mike Lee said Secretary of State Marco Rubio told him Maduro would stand trial on criminal charges in the United States and that Rubio expected no further action in Venezuela once he was in U.S. custody.
Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said she did not know the whereabouts of Maduro or his wife and demanded proof of life on state television. Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino condemned the presence of foreign troops and urged resistance, while Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello urged Venezuelans not to cooperate with what he called a “terrorist enemy.” Reuters
A power outage hit parts of southern Caracas near a major military base, witnesses said, and a pro-government outlet reported explosions near the Fuerte Tiuna and La Carlota military bases. Residents posted videos showing orange flashes and smoke rising above the city.
State oil company PDVSA’s production and refining were operating normally and key facilities had not been damaged, two sources familiar with operations said. One of the sources said the port of La Guaira suffered severe damage but is not used for oil operations.
Venezuela pumps about 1.1 million barrels per day, mostly heavy crude, and sends most exports to China and India, according to Rystad Energy. Vandana Hari, chief executive of Singapore-based Vanda Insights, said the immediate market implications were minimal — “not much beyond another uptick in the Venezuela risk premium”. A risk premium is the extra price traders add to cover supply disruptions from conflict. The National
Russia condemned the strike as an act of armed aggression and said it backed calls for an immediate U.N. Security Council meeting. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged resistance, and Spain called for de-escalation and action in line with international law, Reuters reported.
It was unclear under what legal authority the latest U.S. strikes were carried out, and Trump risks backlash from Congress, which has the constitutional right to declare war. The administration has staged more than two dozen strikes on vessels it says were involved in drug trafficking, operations that critics have described as extrajudicial killings.
U.S. officials have accused Maduro of running a “narco-state” — shorthand for allegations that senior leaders are tied to drug trafficking — and of rigging a 2024 election that the opposition says it won, accusations he denies. The opposition, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado, said it had no official comment on Saturday. Reuters
