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President Trump said the United States had successfully attacked Venezuela, taking the United States from Maduro Most. Active in this region since 1989 Invasion of Panama Explosions in the capital Caracas and other places Rock explosions Defiance of Maduro regime, accusing US of oil grab Venezuelan leader may face drug trial in US
(Reuters) – President Donald Trump said the United States would attack Venezuela on Saturday, ousting longtime autocratic President Nicolás Maduro, the most direct intervention by the U.S. government in Latin America since the 1989 invasion of Panama.
“The United States has successfully launched a major attack on Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been detained and exiled along with his wife,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Prior to the overnight attack, the United States had accused Maduro of running a “narcostate” and rigging a 2024 election that the opposition claimed was a landslide victory.
Venezuela’s leader, a 63-year-old former bus driver who was chosen to replace dying President Hugo Chávez in 2013, denies the claims and says Washington intends to take control of the country’s oil reserves, the world’s largest.
The United States has not intervened so directly in its own backyard since the invasion of Panama 37 years ago, when it ousted military leader Manuel Noriega over similar allegations.
Venezuela’s ruling Chavismo movement, named after Maduro’s revered predecessor, said civilians and military personnel were killed in Saturday’s attack, but did not give numbers.
Maduro could face criminal charges in the US
President Trump said the operation was carried out “in coordination with U.S. law enforcement” and promised further details at an 11 a.m. (16:00 GMT) news conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
Mr. Maduro was captured by a team that included elite U.S. special forces, including the U.S. Army’s Delta Force, a U.S. official told Reuters. Republican Sen. Mike Lee said Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Maduro he would face criminal charges in the United States.
Rubio “expects no further action in Venezuela now that Maduro is in U.S. custody,” Lee wrote to X.
Maduro was indicted in U.S. federal court in 2020 on narcoterrorism and other charges for running what prosecutors called a scheme to send large quantities of cocaine to the United States through the “Cartel de los Soles.” He has always denied it.
“They will soon face the full wrath of the American judiciary on American soil, in American courts,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said of Mr. Maduro and his wife.
Noriega was eventually sentenced to 20 years in prison for the Panama incident.
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, who could take power, said she did not know where Maduro and his wife were and demanded proof that they were alive.
Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino condemned the intervention. “In the unity of our people, we will find the strength to resist and win,” he said in a video message.
Another senior official, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, appeared on the streets wearing a helmet and bulletproof vest and called on people not to cooperate with the “terrorist enemy.”
While Rodriguez may become president, Padrino and Cabello have significant influence in the powerful military, leaving Venezuelans nervously anticipating what will happen next. Analysts say the military’s support helped Mr. Maduro remain in power for a long time, despite significant evidence of his unpopularity on the streets and loss of popular votes.
Actions in Venezuela recall past US interventions
The Venezuelan opposition, led by recent Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Colina Machado, said it had no official comment. The report said Maduro has not only suppressed street protests and imprisoned opposition figures, but also repeatedly cheated his way into power in elections.
President Maduro has mocked Mr. Machado as being in Mr. Trump’s favor.
She recently went missing after fleeing Venezuela in disguise to receive the Nobel Prize.
A source close to the rebels, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Maduro’s ouster was an “inside crime” with help from Venezuela’s military. “For now, there will be no further military action, but this was a message to the remaining Venezuelan government officials: See what the United States can do, withdraw now and negotiate,” the source said, without providing evidence.
Explosions occurred in Caracas and other cities early Saturday morning, prompting Maduro’s government to declare a national emergency and mobilize the military. It also announced attacks in the states of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira.
Explosions, aircraft, and black smoke were seen in Caracas for about 90 minutes starting around 2 a.m. (6 p.m. Japan time).
Residents expressed shock and horror as they captured videos of plumes of smoke and orange flashes in the sky. “My love, look at that,” a woman says in the video, as she gasps at the sound of explosions in the distance.
Carmen Marquez, 50, who lives in the eastern part of the capital, said that when she went to the roof of her house, she could not see the planes but could hear them at various altitudes.
“We saw a flash of light across the sky, like a flare, and then we heard an explosion. We are worried about what will happen next. We have no information from the government, only reports on state television,” she said.
Local media affiliated with the ruling Socialist Party reported explosions near military bases in Fuerte Tiuna and La Carlota. State television footage from La Carlota showed what appeared to be a destroyed tank and bus.
While Latin American governments oppose President Maduro and claim he stole the 2024 vote, direct U.S. action brings back painful memories of past interventions and is generally strongly opposed by governments and peoples in the region.
President Trump’s actions are reminiscent of the Monroe Doctrine, in which President James Monroe asserted U.S. influence in the region in 1823, and the “gunboat diplomacy” seen under Theodore Roosevelt in the early 1900s.
‘A new dawn, the tyrant is gone’ says US official
“It’s a new dawn for Venezuela! The tyrant is gone,” US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau wrote to X.
As the sun rose on Saturday, Venezuela’s streets looked relatively calm. Soldiers patrolled some areas and small pro-Maduro crowds began gathering in Caracas.
However, some people looked relieved.
Carolina Pimentel, 37, a merchant in Maracay, said, “I’m happy. It’s like something out of a movie, so for a moment I doubted something like this would happen.” “It’s calm now, but I feel like everyone is going to celebrate at any moment.”
Venezuela’s allies Russia, Cuba and Iran immediately condemned the attack as a violation of their sovereignty. The Iranian government has called on the UN Security Council to end the “illegal aggression”.
President Trump has called for a “blockade” of Venezuelan oil and expanded sanctions against Maduro’s government, which has launched more than two dozen airstrikes on ships that the United States says are involved in drug trafficking, killing more than 110 people.
It is unclear under what legal authority the recent US attacks were carried out.
Trump’s actions risk a backlash from the US Congress, which has the constitutional right to declare war, and from his own political base, which supports an “America First” policy and largely opposes military intervention abroad.
Oil production and refining at Venezuela’s state energy company PDVSA is normal and initial assessments indicate that its most important facilities were not damaged, two sources familiar with the company’s operations said.
MST Marquee analyst Saul Kavonic said oil prices are likely to rise sharply in the short term on supply risks, but that U.S. aggression could weaken in the medium term if Venezuela’s new government lifts sanctions and restarts foreign investment.
Reporting from Reuters bureaus around the world. Written by Andrew Cawthorn. Editing: William Mallard, William MacLean
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