- US President Donald Trump has said that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been “captured” and “flown out of the country”. The US had not made such a direct intervention in a Latin American country since the invasion of Panama in 1989 to depose the then leader Manuel Noriega.
- Hours before Trump’s official announcement, loud explosions were heard around the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, starting at 2 am (local time) on Saturday. Videos on social media showed many buildings on fire across the city. A power outage also reportedly affected the southern area of Caracas, near a major military base.
- Attacks also took place in the states of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira, a government statement said.
- Venezuela said it rejected “military aggression” by the United States and declared a national emergency.
- “Venezuela rejects, repudiates, and denounces before the international community the extremely serious military aggression perpetrated by the current government of the United States of America against Venezuelan territory and people,” President Nicolas Maduro’s government said.
- The US military was behind a series of strikes against Caracas, US media reported. Media outlets CBS News and Fox News reported unnamed US officials confirming that American forces were involved.
- US President Donald Trump had for weeks threatened ground strikes on drug cartels in Venezuela. He had also deployed a huge naval and aerial presence in the Caribbean, including the US’ most advanced aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R Ford, and other warships.
- US forces have carried out numerous strikes on boats in both the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean since September, targeting what Washington says are drug smugglers. More than 100 people have been killed in the attacks. The American security forces have also seized two tankers at sea as part of an oil blockade on Venezuela.
- Trump has accused Nicolas Maduro of heading a drug cartel. He recently said that “it would be smart” for Maduro to step down and warned the Venezuelan leader that his “days are numbered”.
- Maduro has denied any involvement in the narcotics trade, saying Washington is seeking to overthrow him because Venezuela has the largest known reserves of oil on Earth.