• Maduro’s allies fume as diaspora Venezuelans celebrate

By Sopuruchi Onwuka, with agency reports

At the order of U.S. President Donald Trump, American armed forces carried out a surprise military operation in Venezuela early Saturday, overpowering local security forces and capturing President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, according to U.S. officials.

The operation followed weeks of mounting U.S. pressure on Caracas, including a sustained U.S. Navy presence near Venezuelan waters and repeated demands from Trump that Maduro step down and leave the country.

Senior U.S. officials said Maduro was removed from the presidential palace in Caracas and flown aboard the USS Iwo Jima. Trump later posted an image online that he said showed Maduro on the Navy vessel.

Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the mission, code-named “Absolute Resolve,” lasted approximately two hours and 20 minutes and involved about 150 aircraft. U.S. warplanes reportedly disabled Venezuelan air defense systems to allow helicopters to enter the capital.

Caine said one aircraft was struck but remained operational, while one helicopter team came under fire during the extraction. No American personnel were killed, he said.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the operation reflected Trump’s “deadly serious” commitment to stopping drug trafficking and reclaiming what the administration describes as “stolen” oil resources.

“President Trump is deadly serious about stopping the flow of gangs and drugs into our country, deadly serious about restoring American deterrence in the Western Hemisphere, and deadly serious about reclaiming our economic interests,” Hegseth said.

The U.S. government has long accused Maduro of ties to international drug cartels, illegal oil trading with sanctioned countries including Russia and Iran, and forcing U.S. oil companies out of Venezuela, which holds the world’s largest proven petroleum reserves. Maduro has consistently denied the allegations.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Maduro is “not the legitimate president of Venezuela” and described him as a “fugitive of American justice.” Rubio added that Maduro had been offered safe passage into exile but rejected the proposal.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said Maduro and Flores are charged in a federal indictment unsealed in New York, accusing them of conspiring with drug trafficking organizations to ship cocaine into the United States. Maduro and several senior Venezuelan officials were first indicted on narco-terrorism charges in 2020.

Trump said the United States would temporarily “run” Venezuela to oversee what he called a “safe and proper transition,” adding that U.S. oil companies would be sent in to rebuild the country’s energy infrastructure.

President Donald Trump of the United States

“We’re going to fix the broken oil infrastructure and make the country rich again,” Trump said from his Mar-a-Lago residence, comparing the operation to a military assault “not seen since World War II.”

Venezuela’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, who was later sworn in as interim leader, condemned the operation as “military aggression” aimed at regime change and demanded Maduro’s immediate return. The Venezuelan government declared a state of emergency and vowed to resist what it called “imperialist aggression.”

Democrats in Congress questioned the legality of the operation. Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said there was no clear justification for military action without congressional approval and warned of regional instability.

International reaction was swift. China, Russia, and Brazil condemned the U.S. action as a violation of Venezuelan sovereignty and called for emergency discussions at the United Nations. Russia described the operation as “armed aggression,” while China warned it threatened regional stability.

In contrast, Venezuelans gathered in celebration across Florida, Latin America, and Europe following Trump’s announcement. Crowds waved flags and celebrated in cities including Miami, Madrid, and Santiago.

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado hailed Maduro’s capture as the beginning of a democratic transition. In a letter to the nation, Machado declared, “The time for freedom has come,” urging citizens to remain organized and vigilant.

Machado called for the immediate assumption of power by opposition-backed leader Edmundo González Urrutia and pledged to release political prisoners and restore democratic institutions.

“This is the hour of the citizens,” she wrote. “What was meant to happen is happening.”