Maduro ‘captured and flown out’ of Venezuela, Trump says – DW – 01/03/2026

US President Donald Trump confirmed on Saturday that the US had “successfully” carried out what he called a “large-scale” strike against Venezuela. In a social media post he added that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were “captured and flown out of the Country.”

“This operation was done in conjunction with US Law Enforcement,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

He added that a press conference on the strike will be held later on Saturday at Mar-a-Lago, Florida, at 4 p.m. UTC/GMT.

Iran condemned on Saturday what it called a US attack on Venezuela.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry described it as a “flagrant violation of the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country.”

Iran itself has been embroiled in mass protests this week, with US President Donald Trump threatening to intervene if Tehran uses force against peaceful protesters.

In June last year, Iran was the target of Israeli and US strikes aimed at its nuclear facilities, amid a 12-day war with Israel.

The US Embassy in Bogota, Colombia, warned US citizens against all travel to Venezuela, advising those already there to “shelter in place.”

It also advised US citizens in Venezuela to “establish multiple methods of communication with friends and family outside of Venezuela.”

The embassy said it was aware of “explosions reported.”

Venezuela has the highest travel advisory level; level 4.

Venezuela’s government, in a statement, called on supporters to take to the streets after explosions rocked Caracas.

“People to the streets!” the statement said. “The Bolivarian Government calls on all social and political forces in the country to activate mobilization plans and repudiate this imperialist attack,” it said, the country’s official name is the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

Maduro said in interview published this week he was open to talks with the US 

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said in an interview aired on Thursday that he was open to holding talks with the Trump administration about drug trafficking and the country’s oil reserves.

But he also doubled down on his argument that the US was seeking a government change and access to oil reserves in the country.

The Trump administration has ramped up pressure on the Maduro regime by establishing a massive presence in the US Southern Command and carrying out strikes on boats in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific Ocean.

President Donald Trump has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the US and asserted that the US in engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels. 

US strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific have already raised legal and constitutional alarms. But experts warn that toppling the Maduro regime, as some of Trump’s top officials have implied, is the intended motive, raises many questions.

Read here for our full article to understand the factors that might be at play when it comes to US pressure on the Maduro regime.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canal denounced what he called the US “criminal attack” on Venezuela.

In a post on X, Diaz-Canal demanded a reaction from the international community.

“Our area of peace is being brutally assaulted,” the Cuban president wrote, describing the attack as “state terrorism.”

Gustavo Petro, the president of Venezuelan neighbor Colombia, called for a meeting of the United Nations Security Council to discuss the strikes on Venezuela.

Colombia became a non-permanent member of the council on Friday.

Petro also called for an urgent meeting of the Organization of the American States.

“Caracas is currently being bombed,” he wrote on X, adding that “Venezuela has been attacked.”

The US Federal Aviation Administration banned US commercial flights from Venezuelan airspace over “ongoing military activity” ahead of explosions in Caracas.

The FAA’s warning, known as “Notice to Airmen,” came shortly after one in the morning on the East Coast of the US.

It warned all commercial and private US pilots that the airspace over Venezuela and the small island nation of Curacao, just off the coast of the country to the north, was off-limits “due to safety-of-flight risks associated with ongoing military activity.”

The warnings are designed to alert pilots to a variety of dangers.

US media outlets CBS News and Fox News reported that the United States military was conducting a series of strikes against the Venezuelan capital Caracas on Saturday, with an official US comment still pending.

CBS and Fox both cited unnamed Trump administration officials confirming US forces’ involvement in the strikes on Caracas.

The Reuters news agency also cited an unnamed US official as confirming the US was behind the strikes.

CBS had earlier reported that US President Donald Trump approved land strikes on Venezuela days before Saturday morning’s attacks.

Since November, US President Donald Trump has said the US would“very soon” take action against alleged Venezuelan drug traffickers on land after weeks of strikes on Caribbean waters.

Many of the tactics to escalate pressure on Nicolas Maduro’s regime have raised concerns among experts who worry whether the US wants to engage in a military conflict with Venezuela.

What Trump said in November

In a video call to US service members from his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida to mark Thanksgiving, Trump said the military campaign had meant there “aren’t too many [Venezuelan drug traffickers] coming in by sea anymore.”

“We’ve almost stopped — it’s about 85% stopped by sea,” Trump said.

“And we’ll be starting to stop them by land also. The land is easier, but that’s going to start very soon,” he added.

Photos emerged on Saturday showing soldiers and armored vehicles near the Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas, amid the explosions.

The forces seemed to be guarding the palace. 

Other photos appeared to show residents evacuating a building near the palace, also following the explosions.

The Venezuelan government said in a statement early Saturday that it rejects “military aggression” by the US.

Attacks took place in the capital, Caracas, and the states of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira, the statement said.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro declared a national emergency in response to the US attacks and called on social and political forces to “activate mobilization plans.”

The US has not yet officially commented on the explosions. 

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said in a pretaped interview aired Thursday that the US wants to force a government change in Venezuela and gain access to its vast oil reserves through its current military campaign.

The Trump administration has dialed up pressure on the Maduro regime by applying numerous tactics including carrying out strikes on drug boats and ordering a complete blockade of sanctioned oil tankers transiting to or from Venezuela.

Venezuela’s government declared a state of emergency after it accused the US of attacking civilian and military installations in multiple states early Saturday morning.

At least seven explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard around 2 a.m. local time Saturday in the capital, Caracas.  

US broadcaster CBS first reported that US President Donald Trump approved land strikes on Venezuela days before Saturday morning’s attacks.

Military officials were ready to conduct the operation on Christmas, but US airstrikes in Nigeria, as well as unfavorable weather conditions, delayed the mission, CBS added.