The United States hit Venezuela with a “large-scale strike” early Saturday and said President Nicolás Maduro and his wife had been captured and driven out of the country after months of increased pressure from Washington — an extraordinary nighttime operation announced by President Donald Trump on social media hours after the attack.
Multiple explosions went off and low-flying aircraft flew out of Caracas, the capital, as Maduro’s government immediately accused the United States of attacking civilian and military installations. The Venezuelan government called it an “imperialist attack” and encouraged citizens to take to the streets.
Trump announced the developments on Social Truth shortly after 4:30 am ET and said he would hold a news conference at 11 am ET.
Here’s the end:
The United States indicted Maduro on narcoterrorism charges in 2020
The Department of Justice during Trump’s first term accused in the various charges that Maduro had effectively converted Venezuela into a criminal enterprise for the service of drug traffickers and terrorist groups as he and his allies stole billions from the South American country.
The coordinated unsealing of indictments against 14 government-connected officials and individuals, and $55 million in rewards for Maduro and four others, attacked all major planks of what then-Attorney General William Barr called the “corrupt Venezuelan regime,” including the Maduro-dominated judiciary and powerful armed forces.
One indictment by prosecutors in New York accused Maduro and socialist party leader Diosdado Cabello, head of the rubber constitutional assembly, of conspiring with Colombian rebels and members of the military “to flood the United States with cocaine” and use the drug trade as a “weapon against America.”
Read our news report from 2020 about the charges
State Department officials say ‘the tyrant is gone’
US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau says that the military action and capture of Maduro marks “a new beginning for Venezuela,” and said that “the tyrant is gone.”
He posted on X hours after the strike. His boss, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, retweeted a post from July that said Maduro “is NOT the President of Venezuela and his regime is NOT the legitimate government.”
Senator Lee says Rubio told him he does not anticipate any further action in Venezuela
Utah Senator Mike Lee said that Rubio informed him that “he anticipates no further action in Venezuela now that Maduro is in the custody of the United States,” the lawmaker posted on social media.
Senator Lee says that Rubio informed him that Maduro will be tried in the United States
Senator Mike Lee, R-Utah, put on X that he had spoken with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who informed him about the strike. Rubio told Lee that Maduro “was arrested by American personnel to stand trial on criminal charges in the United States.”
The White House did not immediately respond to questions about where Maduro and his wife were being flown. Maduro was indicted in March 2020 on “narco-terrorism” conspiracy charges in the Southern District of New York.
Colombia is preparing to receive refugees from Venezuela
Colombian President Gustavo Petro, one of Trump’s fiercest critics, said the Colombian government called a national security meeting before dawn Saturday and sent security forces to the border in preparation for a potential “massive influx of refugees” from neighboring Venezuela.
He said he will also appeal to the UN Security Council to consider “the aggression against the sovereignty of Venezuela and Latin America.”
“Without sovereignty, there is no nation,” Petro wrote on social media.
Russia calls the US action an ‘act of armed aggression’
Russia’s Foreign Ministry condemned what it called an “act of armed aggression” by the United States against Venezuela in a statement published on its Telegram channel on Saturday.
“Venezuela must be guaranteed the right to determine its own destiny without any destructive intervention, let alone military, outside,” the statement said.
The ministry called for dialogue to prevent further escalation and said it reaffirmed its “solidarity” with the people and government of Venezuela, adding that Russia supports calls for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.
The State Department urges Americans in Venezuela to shelter in place
The State Department issued a new travel warning early Saturday warning Americans in Venezuela and urging them to “shelter in place” because of the situation.
“The US Embassy in Bogota is aware of reports of explosions in and around Caracas, Venezuela,” it said without elaboration.
“The US Embassy in Bogota, Colombia, warns US citizens not to travel to Venezuela. US citizens in Venezuela should shelter in place.” The embassy in Bogota has been closed since March, 2019 but operates remotely.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio retweeted Trump’s announcement without comment, but his deputy, Christopher Landau, posted Trump’s statement, adding that it marked “a new beginning for Venezuela!” “The tyrant is gone. He is now – finally – facing justice for his crimes,” said Landau.
The Venezuelan VP asks for proof of life for Maduro
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez says, “We don’t know where President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores are.” He added: “We ask for proof of life.”
Trump says Maduro, a woman, has been captured
Trump said that Maduro “was, together with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country. This operation was carried out in conjunction with United States Law Enforcement. Details to follow.” He set a news conference for later Saturday morning.
Explosions rock Caracas
Explosions in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, early on the third day of 2026 — at least seven explosions — sent people running into the streets, while others took to social media to report hearing and seeing the explosions. It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties. The apparent attack itself lasted less than 30 minutes, but it was unclear if there were more actions ahead, although Trump said in his post that the attacks were carried out “successfully.”