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U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that the United States had carried out a major military strike against Venezuela and captured President Nicolas Maduro, claiming the Venezuelan leader and his wife had been removed from the country.
The declaration, made on Trump’s social media platform Truth Social, represents the most direct U.S. intervention in Latin America since the 1989 invasion of Panama to depose General Manuel Noriega.
“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,” Reuters cited Trump saying in his post.
The Venezuelan government has yet to provide immediate confirmation of the events, and reports of explosions in the capital Caracas and other areas have heightened uncertainty.
Trump’s announcement follows longstanding accusations from the United States that Maduro has overseen a “narco-state” and manipulated elections to maintain power.
Maduro, who succeeded Hugo Chavez in 2013, has repeatedly accused Washington of seeking to seize Venezuela’s oil reserves, which are the largest in the world, framing any foreign intervention as an attempt at resource expropriation.
The situation marks an extraordinary escalation in U.S.-Venezuelan relations and could have far-reaching consequences for regional stability in Latin America. - January 3, 2025