U.S. President Donald J. Trump has announced the successful capture of Venezuelan President, Nicolás Maduro and his wife in an operation on Friday night, in Venezuela’s capital of Caracas.
The United States launched military operations against Venezuela overnight on Jan. 3, according to media reports and statements from Venezuela’s government.
The explosions followed a significant U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean and repeated threats by Trump against Venezuela’s government and President Nicolás Maduro.
The U.S. “successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement.”
The explosions came amid a widening U.S. military campaign in the region. Since early September, U.S. forces have carried out attacks on alleged drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific. The campaign escalated in late December with the seizure of oil tankers traveling to and from Venezuelan ports.
A large American naval presence has since assembled in the southern Caribbean, including guided missile destroyers, a missile cruiser, and a Marine Corps amphibious ready group aboard Navy landing ships. The USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, was also deployed to the region in recent months.