Venezuela - US Conflict: News, Updates

Its looking like to me his own people gave him up, looks coordinated with them and US forces.

No tears shedded for Madaro, hope Venezuelan people benefit with the outcomes.
 
PakAl said:
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We had Baghdad Bob, now we Have Caracas Carlos?

Btw, this should be a textbook lesson for all nations if there are genuine mass apathy in the population, if there is a major power looking to exploit it, it’s only a matter of time. It’s was Iraq yesterday, Venezuela today, and it could Iran tomorrow. Even nuclear arms may not be enough if the generals don’t want to fight; this is looking at you North Korea, who might fall to China backed figure like Kim’s nephew, to maintain the buffer between China and South Korea.

Genuine local support is vital, as in Ukraine (on top of foreign material support). Heck, Taiwanese people might see how smoothly the transition just went in Venezuela and may accept the transition if there is minimal disruption.

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Trump says US carried out large-scale strike against Venezuela, captured President Maduro and his wife​

Says Maduro and his wife have been captured and flown out of the country; the US has not made such a direct intervention in Latin America since the invasion of Panama in 1989 to depose military leader Manuel Noriega.

AFP | Reuters
January 3, 2026

Key Developments

  • Trump says US forces have captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro after launching a “large-scale strike”; hails “brilliant” operation
  • Venezuelan vice president says govt does not know whereabouts of Maduro or his wife; defence minister calls for united front of resistance in the face of “the worst aggression” ever
  • US State Dept deputy chief declares ‘new dawn’ for Venezuela
  • Venezuela calls for emergency UN Security Council meeting following strikes
US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that US forces had captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro after launching a “large-scale strike” on the South American country.

“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,“ Trump said in a Truth Social post.
 
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“This operation was done in conjunction with US law enforcement,” Trump added, saying he would give a news conference at 11:00am (1600 GMT; 9pm PKT) at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.

In a brief phone interview with The New York Times, Trump hailed the “brilliant” operation.

“A lot of good planning and a lot of great, great troops and great people,” the paper quoted Trump as saying.

Venezuela has since demanded an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the US attacks.

“Faced with the criminal aggression committed by the US government against our homeland, we have requested an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council, which is responsible for upholding international law,” Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil wrote on the Telegram messaging platform.

“A new dawn for Venezuela! The tyrant is gone. He will now — finally — face justice for his crimes,” US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said on X.
 
US Senator Mike Lee said the country had completed its military action, quoting Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

“He anticipates no further action in Venezuela now that Maduro is in US custody,” Lee, a Republican initially critical of the operation, wrote on X after what he said was a telephone call with Rubio.

Rubio, meanwhile, uploaded a screenshot of one of his old posts on X today, which claimed Maduro was not the president of Venezuela.

The old post, dated July 27, 2025, reads: “Maduro is NOT the President of Venezuela and his regime is NOT the legitimate government.

“Maduro is the head of the Cartel de Los Soles, a narco-terror organization which has taken possession of a country. And he is under indictment for pushing drugs into the United States,” Rubio added.
 
Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela’s largest military complex, situated in the south of Caracas, and Carlota airbase in the north, were among the targets of the strikes. Blasts were also heard in La Guaira, north of the capital, where Caracas’s airport and port are located.

A US official said Maduro was captured by elite US special forces troops.

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said the government does not know the whereabouts of President Maduro or his wife Cilia Flores, in an audio played on state TV.

“We demand immediate proof of life of President Nicolas Maduro and the first combatant Cilia Flores,” Rodriguez said.

Smoke rises near Fort Tiuna, after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. has struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas, Venezuela, January 3, 2026. — Reuters
Meanwhile, Venezuelan Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino López accused the United States of hitting residential areas.

The “invading” US forces “have desecrated our soil, going so far as to strike, using missiles and rockets fired from their combat helicopters, residential areas populated by civilians,” Lopez said in a video statement shared on social media.

He also said the South American country would launch a “massive deployment of all land, air, naval, riverine and missile capabilities … for comprehensive defence“. The defence minister called for a united front of resistance in the face of “the worst aggression” ever against Venezuela.

Fire at Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela’s largest military complex, is seen from a distance after a series of explosions in Caracas on January 3, 2026. — AFP
Venezuela’s
 
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Venezuela’s Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, meanwhile, said that the country “will overcome” the wave of US military strikes.

Considered one of the most powerful men in Caracas, Cabello told a local television broadcast, “At the end of these attacks, we will overcome,” adding that “this is not our first battle against our people… we have managed to survive under all circumstances“.

The Venezuelan opposition, headed by recent Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado, said in a statement that it had no official comment on the events.

Separately, Colombian President Gustavo Petro said he ordered the deployment of military forces to the Venezuelan border.

Petro described Washington’s actions as an “assault on the sovereignty” of Latin America and said they would result in a humanitarian crisis.

Petro made no mention of Maduro’s capture, despite the Venezuelan leader being one of his government’s closest allies in the region.

The US has not made such a direct intervention in Latin America since the invasion of Panama in 1989 to depose military leader Manuel Noriega.
 
lightning f57 said:
Its looking like to me his own people gave him up, looks coordinated with them and US forces.

No tears shedded for Madaro, hope Venezuelan people benefit with the outcomes.
Click to expand...
Maduro worked as bus driver before he became president of the most oil richest country on earth. Then he fxx up everything.
 
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Night view of Caracas taken after a series of explosions heard on January 3, 2026. — AFP

Trump’s stunning announcement follows months of steadily mounting US military and economic pressure on leftist leader Maduro and his country’s oil-export-dependent economy.

The US president said in December, “it would be smart for [Maduro]” to step down“ and has also said that the Venezuelan leader’s “days are numbered”.

Trump’s claim of Maduro’s capture comes two days after Maduro attempted to engage with Trump, offering cooperation on fighting drug trafficking and illegal migration.

The US has accused Maduro of running a “narco-state” and rigging an election. Trump had also repeatedly promised land operations in Venezuela.

The Venezuelan leader, who succeeded Hugo Chavez to take power in 2013, has said Washington wants to take control of its oil reserves, the second-largest in the world.

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Picture of fire at Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela’s largest military complex, after a series of explosions in Caracas on January 3, 2026. — AFP
 
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