Details surrounding the legal basis for the action—and whether Congress was consulted in advance—were not immediately disclosed. The extraordinary military move, which resulted in the removal of a sitting head of state, drew comparisons to the 1990 U.S. operation in Panama that led to the arrest of then-leader Manuel Antonio Noriega.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi later stated that the Venezuelan leader and his wife, Cilia Flores, would face criminal charges following an indictment in New York. In a social media post, Bondi said the couple would soon be brought before U.S. courts to answer to the charges.
Maduro and several other Venezuelan officials were indicted in 2020 on charges related to an alleged “narco-terrorism” conspiracy. However, it had not previously been known that his wife was also included, and it remained unclear whether the attorney general was referring to a new indictment. Specific details of the allegations against Cilia Flores were not immediately available.
In the early hours of Saturday, multiple explosions were reported across the Venezuelan capital, with low-flying aircraft seen overhead. The government accused the United States of targeting both civilian and military sites, describing the action as an “imperialist attack” and calling on citizens to mobilize in protest.
With Maduro’s location unknown, Venezuelan law dictates that Vice President Delcy RodrÃguez would assume power. There was no confirmation that this transition had formally taken place, though RodrÃguez released a statement following the strike.
“We do not know the whereabouts of President Nicolás Maduro or First Lady Cilia Flores,” she said. “We demand proof of life.”
President Donald Trump said that Maduro, along with his wife, had been captured and flown out of the country, adding that the operation was carried out in coordination with U.S. law enforcement. He also announced plans to hold a news conference later Saturday morning.
The attack reportedly lasted less than 30 minutes. At least seven explosions were heard, sending residents rushing into the streets while others shared accounts of the incident on social media. According to Vice President Delcy RodrÃguez, some civilians and members of the military were killed, though she did not provide specific figures.
It remained unclear whether further actions were planned, though Trump stated that the strikes had been carried out “successfully.”
U.S. Senator Mike Lee of Utah later said he had been briefed on the operation by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, adding that Maduro had been taken into custody by U.S. personnel to face criminal charges in the United States.
The White House did not immediately respond to questions about where Maduro and his wife were being taken following their removal from the country.
Maduro was last seen publicly on Friday, appearing on state television during a meeting with a delegation of Chinese officials in Caracas.
The strike followed months of escalating pressure by the Trump administration on the Venezuelan leader. This included a significant buildup of U.S. forces in waters off South America, as well as operations targeting vessels in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean suspected of drug trafficking. Last week, a drone strike hit a docking area believed to be used by Venezuelan drug cartels, marking the first known direct operation on Venezuelan territory since U.S. strikes began in September.
By Friday, officials said there had been 35 confirmed boat strikes, with at least 115 people killed. Trump stated that the United States is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels, describing the maritime strikes as necessary to curb the flow of drugs into the country.
Maduro has condemned the U.S. military operations, describing them as a thinly disguised attempt to remove him from power.
In response to the attack, the government issued a call for citizens to mobilize, urging people to take to the streets.
In one Caracas neighborhood long regarded as a stronghold of the ruling party, armed individuals and uniformed members of a civilian militia were seen moving through the streets. As daylight emerged, small groups gathered, chanting “Bring back Maduro!” and holding posters bearing his image.
Elsewhere in the capital, however, many streets remained largely deserted hours after the strike. While parts of the city were still without electricity, traffic continued to flow normally in several areas.
Video footage from Caracas and an unidentified coastal city showed tracer fire and thick smoke filling the skyline as a series of muted explosions lit up the night. Other clips captured vehicles driving along a highway while blasts illuminated the hills in the background.
Smoke was seen billowing from a hangar at a military base in Caracas, and another military facility in the capital was reported to be without electricity.
“The whole ground shook. This is horrible. We heard explosions and planes,” said Carmen Hidalgo, a 21-year-old office worker, her voice shaking as she hurried through the streets of Caracas with two relatives after leaving a birthday gathering. “It felt like the air itself was hitting us.”
In a statement, the Venezuelan government said Maduro had ordered the full implementation of national defense plans and declared a state of emergency, granting him expanded powers, including the ability to suspend certain civil rights and broaden the role of the armed forces.
The website of the U.S. Embassy in Venezuela, which has been closed since 2019, issued a warning to American citizens in the country, saying it was aware of reports of explosions in and around Caracas.
“U.S. citizens in Venezuela should shelter in place,” the notice stated.
As reactions began to emerge, inquiries sent to the Pentagon and U.S. Southern Command following President Trump’s social media announcement went unanswered. Aviation authorities also warned commercial and private U.S. pilots that airspace over Venezuela and the nearby island of Curaçao was off limits due to safety risks linked to ongoing military activity.
The Armed Services committees in both chambers of Congress, which oversee military affairs, had not been notified by the administration about the operation, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Lawmakers from both parties have previously voiced serious concerns and outright opposition to U.S. attacks on vessels suspected of drug smuggling near Venezuela’s coast. Congress has not explicitly approved the use of military force for such operations in the region.
Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau described the military action and Maduro’s seizure as “a new dawn for Venezuela,” declaring that “the tyrant is gone” in a post shared hours after the strike. Secretary of State Marco Rubio later amplified an earlier message stating that Maduro was not the legitimate president and that his government lacked legal authority.
Cuba, a close ally of the Venezuelan government and a longtime critic of the United States, urged the international community to respond to what its president described as a “criminal attack.”
“Our zone of peace is being brutally assaulted,” he said in a post on X. Iran’s Foreign Ministry also issued a condemnation of the strikes.
Argentina’s President Javier Milei welcomed claims by his close ally, Donald Trump, that Maduro had been captured, responding with a familiar political slogan he often uses to celebrate right-wing victories: “Long live freedom, damn it!”
