US military forces have detained Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Adela Flores, following a large-scale operation conducted in Venezuela, according to US officials and media reports.
American officials told CBS News, a US-based partner of the BBC, that the operation was carried out by the US Army’s elite Delta Force unit, which reportedly extracted the Venezuelan leader and his spouse from the country after coordinated assaults across multiple locations in the capital, Caracas.
Delta Force is regarded as one of the United States military’s most specialized counter-terrorism units.
US President Donald Trump confirmed the operation in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social. In the statement, Trump said the United States had “successfully conducted a large-scale operation in Venezuela” and had detained President Maduro along with his wife before removing them from the country.
“This operation was carried out jointly with US law enforcement agencies,” Trump wrote, adding that further details would be disclosed later. He also announced a press conference scheduled for 11:00 a.m. local time on Saturday at Mar-a-Lago.
Earlier, the Venezuelan government issued an official statement accusing the United States of launching attacks on both civilian and military facilities in several states, describing the action as a direct “military aggression.”
According to Qatar-based broadcaster Al Jazeera, Venezuelan authorities said the strikes targeted not only Caracas but also the states of Miranda, Aragua, and La Guaira. The government further accused Washington of attempting to seize Venezuela’s oil and mineral resources, a claim it said would “never succeed.”
Amid the unfolding situation, President Maduro declared a nationwide state of emergency.
The Associated Press (AP) reported that shortly before multiple explosions were heard in Caracas, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a ban on commercial flights using Venezuelan airspace, citing “ongoing military activity.” Following the FAA directive, at least seven explosions were reportedly heard in the Venezuelan capital.
President Trump has long accused Maduro of facilitating drug trafficking and encouraging illegal migration into the United States, stating that any US military action would primarily aim to curb narcotics smuggling. Maduro, however, has repeatedly rejected these allegations, asserting that Washington seeks to turn Venezuela into a colony and that Trump’s true objective is control over the country’s vast fossil fuel reserves.
It is worth noting that the United States was among the countries that did not recognize Maduro’s victory in Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election.
Source: BBC.