US President Donald Trump confirmed on Saturday that elite US special forces have captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores in a high-stakes nighttime raid. During a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago residence, Trump declared that the United States will "run" Venezuela on a temporary basis to oversee what he described as a "judicious transition" of power. Contents * "We Are Going to Run the Country" * Maduro En Route to New York * Venezuela Demands "Proof of Life" * International Alarm and Condemnation * Background: A Final Confrontation The operation, which Trump characterised as "Operation Midnight Hammer," involved a massive coordination of air, land, and sea power. The President stated that Maduro was seized from a "fortress" in the heart of Caracas by members of the US military—reported to include the elite Delta Force—working alongside US law enforcement agencies. "We Are Going to Run the Country" Addressing reporters, Trump announced a period of direct US involvement in Venezuelan governance. "We're going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition," Trump said.5′′We don't want to be involved with having somebody else get in, and we have the same situation that we had for the last long period of years." The President also signalled an immediate focus on Venezuela's oil sector, claiming that major US oil companies would be deployed to "fix the badly broken infrastructure" and invest "billions of dollars" to restore production.6 "The oil business has been a bust," Trump noted. "We're going to start making money for the country." Despite reports of heavy explosions across Caracas, Trump stated that the mission resulted in no US fatalities and no loss of American equipment. "It was an incredible thing to see," he remarked, describing the Venezuelan military as being "completely overwhelmed and very quickly incapacitated." He added that while a second, larger wave of attacks was planned, it would likely be unnecessary due to the "pinpoint" success of the initial strikes. Maduro En Route to New York The US Department of Justice confirmed that Maduro and his wife are currently in US custody. Trump later clarified in an interview that the couple had been transported to the USS Iwo Jima and are being flown to New York to face criminal charges. Maduro was indicted in 2020 on charges of narco-terrorism and leading the "Cartel of the Suns." Venezuela Demands "Proof of Life" The Venezuelan government, led by Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, has yet to acknowledge the capture. In an emergency broadcast, Rodriguez stated that the government remains unaware of the president's location and demanded that Washington provide "proof that President Maduro and his wife are alive." Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello confirmed civilian casualties resulting from the strikes on the capital and called for national resistance. "They expected the people to flee in hysteria," Cabello said, urging citizens to trust the national leadership despite the "cowardly" attacks on military and civilian zones. International Alarm and Condemnation The escalation has triggered a global diplomatic crisis: * Russia and Mexico: Both nations issued sharp condemnations, with Moscow labelling the raid an "armed act of aggression" and Mexico City citing a violation of the UN Charter. * China: Said it is "deeply shocked" by the US's military strikes on Venezuela and its capture of President Nicolas Maduro, strongly condemns the US's blatant use of force against a sovereign state and action against its president," a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a statement late Saturday. * The United Nations: Secretary-General António Guterres expressed "deep concern" regarding the respect for international law, while the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry has requested an urgent Security Council meeting. * European Union: Foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas emphasised that "international law must be respected," even while acknowledging Maduro's lack of democratic legitimacy. Background: A Final Confrontation The capture of Maduro marks the most significant US military intervention in Latin America since the 1989 invasion of Panama. Maduro, who began a controversial third term in January 2025, has long framed his presidency as a "battle for sovereignty" against US imperialism. Washington's move to designate its government a "foreign terrorist organisation" in 2025 set the stage for Saturday's military action, which Trump today described as "the hour of freedom" for the Venezuelan people.
