US military carries out strikes in Venezuela, including capital of Caracas

Published January 3, 2026 2:22am EST | Updated January 3, 2026 5:14am EST

The U.S. military carried out a “large-scale strike” in Venezuela early Saturday morning and took Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife into custody, President Donald Trump confirmed.

The president wrote on Truth Social that the operation was successful and Maduro and his wife were “captured and flown out of the country.” Trump said the operation was conducted with U.S. law enforcement and added that a news conference will take place at Mar-a-Lago at 11 a.m. on Saturday.

At least seven explosions could be heard in Venezuela’s capital city of Caracas early Saturday morning, according to The Associated Press, and low-flying aircraft were seen flying over Caracas at about 2 a.m. local time.

The Venezuelan government said in a statement that “the civilian and military localities of the city of Caracas, capital of the Republic, and the states of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira” were impacted by the attack.

The Venezuelan government issued a sweeping condemnation, accusing the U.S. of committing a “very serious military aggression” against Venezuela and carrying out “imperialist aggression.”

“The objective of this attack is none other than to seize Venezuela’s strategic resources, particularly its oil and minerals, attempting to break the Nation’s political independence by force,” the Government of Venezuela said in a statement. “They will not succeed. After more than two hundred years of independence, the people and their legitimate Government remain steadfast in defense of sovereignty and the inalienable right to decide their own destiny.”

The statement also said the “attempt to impose a colonial war to destroy the republican form of government and force a ‘regime change,’ in alliance with the fascist oligarchy, will fail just like all previous attempts.”

The attack comes amid the U.S. military’s targeting of alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, questioned the justification for the strike in a post on X early Saturday, writing, “I look forward to learning what, if anything, might constitutionally justify this action in the absence of a declaration of war or authorization for the use of military force.”

Maduro said Thursday that his government was open to negotiating an agreement with the United States after months of American military pressure targeting drug trafficking networks tied to his government.

In a pre-taped interview with Spanish journalist Ignacio Ramonet that aired on state television, Maduro said Venezuela is “ready” to discuss a drug-trafficking deal with the U.S. He called on the countries to “start talking seriously, with data in hand.”

“The U.S. government knows, because we’ve told many of their spokespeople, that if they want to seriously discuss an agreement to combat drug trafficking, we’re ready,” he said. “If they want oil, Venezuela is ready for U.S. investment, like with Chevron, whenever they want it, wherever they want it and however they want it.”

The U.S. Embassy in Bogotá, Colombia, warned U.S. citizens on Saturday not to travel to Venezuela and advised those in the country to shelter in place.

A Travel Advisory from Dec. 3 states that all U.S. citizens in Venezuela are strongly advised to depart immediately. The Department of State withdrew all diplomatic personnel from U.S. Embassy Caracas and suspended operations in March 2019.

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a Notice to Airmen at 1 a.m. EST on Saturday prohibiting all U.S. aircraft from operating “at all altitudes within Venezuelan airspace.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.