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The United States launched what it described as a "large-scale" military strike against Venezuela and has captured President Nicolás Maduro, former US President Donald Trump said on Saturday, marking the most dramatic American intervention in Latin America in decades.
In a statement posted on his Truth Social platform, Trump said Maduro and his wife were detained during the operation and flown out of Venezuela. He offered no details on their current location or condition, prompting Venezuela's government to demand immediate proof that both are alive.
Explosions were reported across Caracas and nearby areas as fires burned and thick smoke rose into the sky. Residents described scenes of panic as helicopters flew low over the capital. One eyewitness told the BBC the blasts left people running for cover as windows rattled across neighbourhoods.
Venezuela's authorities announced a nationwide state of emergency, accusing Washington of carrying out an act of military aggression. Senior officials rejected the
intervention, saying it violated the country's sovereignty and left both civilians and members of the armed forces dead, though no casualty figures were provided.
A US official told American media that elite special forces were involved in the operation to detain Maduro. Republican Senator Mike Lee said Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the Venezuelan leader would be transferred to the United States to face criminal charges. Rubio is said to expect no further military action now that Maduro is in US custody.
Trump has repeatedly accused Maduro of running a "narco-state" and of clinging to power through fraudulent elections. Venezuela's opposition claims it won last year's presidential vote by a wide margin, a result the government has consistently rejected. Maduro, who took office in 2013 after the death of Hugo Chávez, has long argued that Washington is seeking control over Venezuela's vast oil reserves.
Vice President Delcy Rodríguez said she did not know where Maduro and his wife were being held and insisted the US provide proof of life. Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino condemned the strikes, urging Venezuelans to unite against what he called a foreign invasion.
The intervention is the most significant US military action in the region since the 1989 invasion of Panama to remove Manuel Noriega. Analysts say it risks inflaming tensions across Latin America, where memories of past US involvement remain deeply sensitive.