US launches major strike on Venezuela, Trump announces Maduro and wife captured
New Delhi, January 2. The US has carried out what President Donald Trump described as a “large-scale military strike” on Venezuela, announced that President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were captured and taken out of the country during the operation.
Trump announced the development on his Truth Social platform early January 2, shortly after loud explosions rocked Venezuela’s capital Caracas, triggering a dramatic escalation in tensions between Washington and the South American nation. He said the operation was conducted in coordination with US law-enforcement agencies and that both Maduro and his wife had been flown out of Venezuela.
Though the Venezuelan government had not officially responded to Trump’s claim at the time of reporting, later media reports cited the country’s Vice President as saying that Maduro and his wife are missing and demanded “proof of life”. Earlier, however, authorities in Caracas declared a national state of emergency, calling the strikes a case of “military aggression”.
According to the government, the attacks hit multiple locations, including the capital Caracas and the states of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira. Officials accused the US of attempting to seize Venezuela’s oil and mineral wealth, vowing that such efforts would fail.
Residents in Caracas reported a series of powerful explosions early Saturday, followed by smoke rising over parts of the city. Multiple blasts were heard near key military and aviation facilities, and there were reports of aircraft flying low over the capital as some neighbourhoods experienced power outages.
Witnesses described intense tremors and flashes in the sky, with people pouring out into the streets in fear. “The whole ground shook… we heard explosions and planes,” said one young resident as she hurried home with her family.
The strikes come amid rising tensions between Washington and Caracas in recent weeks. Trump has repeatedly threatened military action against targets he says are linked to drug trafficking, including in Venezuela. Earlier this week, he disclosed that US forces had already hit a Venezuelan docking area allegedly used by drug-smuggling boats.
Trump has labelled Venezuelan authorities “narcoterrorists” and accused Maduro, without presenting evidence, of leading a drug-trafficking network aimed at destabilising the United States.
Maduro, in a recent interview, said Venezuela was open to talks with Washington on combating drug trafficking, even as he accused the US of trying to overthrow his government and seize the country’s vast oil reserves through sanctions and military pressure.
When asked directly about the reported US strikes, Maduro said the issue could be addressed “in a few days”, leaving uncertainty over how Caracas will formally respond to what could be the most serious confrontation between the two countries in years.
