US Military Strikes Venezuela, Captures Maduro in Unprecedented Regime Change Operation

President Trump announced that the U.S. “successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela” and that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were “captured and flown out of the Country.” Explosions were heard in Caracas early Saturday morning. Trump stated the U.S. would temporarily take control of the Venezuelan government, saying “We’re going to run it, essentially” and declined to rule out “boots on the ground.”

Maduro and his wife had been previously indicted on narco-terrorism charges in New York. Congressional Democrats immediately called for Gang of Eight briefings, with Senator Andy Kim stating that Secretaries Rubio and Hegseth “blatantly lied to Congress” about regime change intentions. The operation represents the most significant U.S. military intervention in Latin America in decades.