The explosions come as US President Donald Trump, who has deployed a navy task force to the Caribbean, raised the possibility of ground strikes against Venezuela. Trump has now confirmed the US conducted the strikes, adding the Venezuelan president and his wife have been captured and flown out of the country.
The Venezuelan vice-president Delcy Rodriguez said during her latest TV address that Maduro’s whereabouts are unknown and demanded a proof of life from the US government.
US President Donald Trump said Saturday that Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife had been extracted by helicopter to a ship, and would be taken to New York to face federal charges.
“They’re on a ship but they’ll be heading into New York. The helicopters took them out,” Trump told Fox News in a telephone interview.
Multiple explosions, accompanied by sounds resembling aircraft flyovers, were heard around the city, an AFP journalist reported around 2.15am. The Defence Ministry accuses the US of bombing residential areas: the “invading” US forces “have desecrated our soil, going so far as to strike, using missiles and rockets fired from their combat helicopters, residential areas populated by civilians,” Venezuela’s Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said in a video statement shared on social media.
He also said the South American country would launch a “massive deployment of all land, air, naval, riverine and missile capabilities... for comprehensive defense.”
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro earlier on Saturday had declared a state of an emergency over what his goverment called an “extremely serious military aggression” by the United States on the capital Caracas.
“Venezuela rejects, repudiates, and denounces before the international community the extremely serious military aggression perpetrated by the current government of the United States of America against Venezuelan territory and people,” Maduro’s government said.
The United States military was behind a series of strikes against the Venezuelan capital Caracas on Saturday, US media reported. US media outlets CBS News and Fox News reported unnamed Trump administration officials confirming that US forces were involved.
President Donald Trump said Saturday that US forces had captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro after launching a “large scale strike” on the South American country.
“The United States of America has 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 on Truth Social.
He has also announced a press conference at his home in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, at 11am (4pm GMT).
The international community is slowly reacting to the strikes as the breaking news reports are being verified.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro has announced troops are being deployed to the Venezuelan border after the attacks, whilst also having called an emergency meeting with the UN.
The Iranian foreign ministry in a statement said it “strongly condemns the American military attack on Venezuela and the flagrant violation of the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country”.
Russia condemned the US military action in Venezuela on Saturday, saying there was no tenable justification for the attack and that “ideological hostility” had prevailed over diplomacy. “This morning, the United States committed an act of armed aggression against Venezuela. This is deeply concerning and condemnable,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “Ideological hostility has triumphed over businesslike pragmatism,” it added.
Spain offered to mediate in the crisis between the United States and Venezuela after US attacks on Caracas and the capture of President Nicolas Maduro, who was flown out of his country. “Spain calls for de-escalation and restraint,” the foreign ministry said in a statement, adding that “in this regard ... it is prepared to offer its good offices to achieve a peaceful, negotiated solution to the current crisis”.
Shortly after midday local time, the EU called for “restraint” and respect for international law in Venezuela: “The EU has repeatedly stated that Mr Maduro lacks legitimacy and has defended a peaceful transition,” the bloc’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas wrote on X after speaking with her US counterpart Marco Rubio. “Under all circumstances, the principles of international law and the UN Charter must be respected. We call for restraint,” she wrote.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Saturday slammed the US attacks on Venezuela as a “serious affront” to the country’s sovereignty, echoing criticism made by fellow regional heavyweight, Mexico. “The bombings in Venezuelan territory and the capture of its president cross an unacceptable line” the left-wing Lula wrote on X, saying they threaten “the preservation of the region as a zone of peace.” He urged the international community, through the United Nations, to “respond vigorously” to the attacks.
Trump on Monday said the United States hit and destroyed a docking area for alleged Venezuelan drug boats.
The Republican leader would not say if it was a military or CIA operation or where the strike occurred, noting only that it was “along the shore.”
The attack is the first known land strike on Venezuelan soil.
The Trump administration has accused Maduro of heading a drug cartel and says it is cracking down on trafficking, but the leftist leader denies any involvement in the narcotics trade, saying Washington is seeking to overthrow him because Venezuela has the largest known reserves of oil on Earth.
Washington has ramped up pressure on Caracas by informally closing Venezuela’s airspace, imposing more sanctions and ordering the seizure of tankers loaded with Venezuelan oil.
For weeks Trump has threatened ground strikes on drug cartels in the region, saying they would start “soon,” with Monday being the first apparent example.
US forces have also carried out numerous strikes on boats in both the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean since September, targeting what Washington says are drug smugglers.
The administration has provided no evidence that the targeted boats were involved in drug trafficking, however, prompting debate about the legality of these operations.
The deadly maritime campaign has killed at least 107 people in at least 30 strikes, according to information released by the US military.
This is a developing story, more information to follow.
