U.S. Forces Capture Venezuela’s Maduro in Overnight Raid

U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Saturday during a wide-ranging military operation in the capital city Caracas. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were detained by a special ground force and removed from the country by helicopter to a U.S. Navy vessel, from where they were transferred toward New York to face trial.

President Donald Trump confirmed the capture in a public statement, saying the operation involved a targeted raid in the Venezuelan capital alongside airstrikes on military infrastructure. U.S. officials described the mission as a coordinated assault combining air power and a special operations ground team.

Trump said he watched the raid live from his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. “We watched it from a room, surrounded by a lot of people and generals who knew everything that was happening. Different kinds of helicopters and fighter jets. They broke into places you can’t break into, steel doors specially installed for this. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life. I watched it like a television show.”

According to the White House, U.S. aircraft struck several military targets during the operation, including port infrastructure and bases linked to the Venezuelan armed forces. Local outlet Caracas Chronicles and other reporting said strikes were carried out around La Guaira, the main port north of Caracas, and additional facilities.

Maduro and Flores were flown to the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima, officials said. Trump later released images showing Maduro aboard the vessel, with his eyes covered and his hands restrained, wearing a gray tracksuit.

American media reported that Maduro will be prosecuted in the United States on drug trafficking and weapons charges. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said updated indictments would be filed in federal court in New York in the coming days. Maduro has been under U.S. indictment since 2020 for his alleged role in large-scale narcotics smuggling. Prosecutors are expected to charge him with narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation, and weapons offenses, charges that carry the potential for multiple life sentences under U.S. law.

Trump said Maduro attempted to open talks in the days before the operation. “Maduro wanted to negotiate in the days before the operation. I spoke to him a week ago. I did not want to negotiate,” he said. He also warned Venezuelan officials who remain in the country that loyalty to the former president would carry consequences. “If they remain loyal to Maduro, the future is very bad for them,” Trump said, adding that many figures within the regime had already switched sides.

As Washington outlined its next steps, competing claims emerged over who now governs Venezuela. Trump said the United States would oversee the country during a transition period. “We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” he said, adding that a U.S. presence could include forces on the ground and involvement in the oil sector. At the same time, it was reported that Venezuela’s Supreme Court ordered Vice President Delcy Rodríguez to assume the role of interim president following Maduro’s detention. 

Maduro and his wife were seized at Fort Tiuna, the country’s largest military complex, which he said was among the sites struck during the operation. Venezuelan officials condemned the raid as a kidnapping and accused Washington of violating the country’s sovereignty.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Trump, writing: “Congratulations, President Donald Trump, for your bold and historic leadership on behalf of freedom and justice. I salute your decisive resolve and the brilliant action of your brave soldiers.”

President Isaac Herzog thanked Trump for what he called a major contribution to global security, saying: “Thank you, President Donald Trump, for your decisive leadership in making the world a safer place. Thank you for leading the crucial global battle against brutal, rogue, and destabilizing regimes, and against the dangers of narco-trafficking.”

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said Israel “commends the United States’ operation, led by President Trump, which acted as the leader of the free world,” adding that Israel “stands alongside the freedom-loving Venezuelan people, who have suffered under Maduro’s illegal tyranny,” and welcomes “the removal of the dictator who led a network of drugs and terror.”

Trump said U.S. forces were prepared to escalate if necessary. “We were prepared to do a second wave. Our advisors assumed it would be necessary. In the end, only one wave was needed,” Trump said, adding: “We’re not afraid of boots on the ground if we have to. We had boots on the ground last night, at a very high level.”

Trump also outlined plans for Venezuela’s oil sector, saying Washington would move to restore U.S. energy companies whose assets were seized under Maduro. “We’re going to have a presence in Venezuela as it pertains to oil,” he said, describing production as having been “a total bust for a long period of time.” He added that recovered assets would help compensate Venezuelans who fled the country, saying: “We’re going to reimburse people that were taken advantage of. We have to rebuild their whole infrastructure.”