{"id":37231,"date":"2026-01-04T04:10:35","date_gmt":"2026-01-04T04:10:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=37231"},"modified":"2026-01-04T04:10:35","modified_gmt":"2026-01-04T04:10:35","slug":"u-s-launches-strikes-on-venezuela-claims-capture-of-president-nicolas-maduro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=37231","title":{"rendered":"U.S. Launches Strikes on Venezuela, Claims Capture of President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The United States carried out what it described as a \u201clarge-scale\u201d military strike on Venezuela early Saturday, claiming the operation resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, according to statements from senior U.S. officials and President Donald Trump. The announcement immediately heightened tensions across the region and sparked global concern over the future of Venezuela\u2019s leadership.<\/p><div class=\"qbnou69ebe416c7d0f\" ><div style=\"width:100%; max-width:1200px; margin:0 auto;\">\n  <a href=\"https:\/\/bolt-casino.com?r=0BFDBF1283\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\n    <img \n      src=\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/f8693ebb-2018-480f-a2f7-0096810c07f0.jpg\" \n      alt=\"200% Deposit Bonus + 10% Cashback\" \n      style=\"width:100%; height:auto; display:block; border-radius:8px; cursor:pointer;\"\n    \/>\n  <\/a>\n<\/div><\/div><style type=\"text\/css\">\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 1201px) {\r\n.qbnou69ebe416c7d0f {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 993px) and (max-width: 1200px) {\r\n.qbnou69ebe416c7d0f {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 769px) and (max-width: 992px) {\r\n.qbnou69ebe416c7d0f {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 768px) {\r\n.qbnou69ebe416c7d0f {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (max-width: 767px) {\r\n.qbnou69ebe416c7d0f {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n<\/style>\r\n\n<div class=\"google-auto-placed ap_container\">\n<p>In a post published on Truth Social shortly after 4:30 a.m. Eastern Time, Trump said Maduro and the first lady had been \u201ccaptured and flown out of the country\u201d following an overnight operation involving U.S. law enforcement and military assets. Trump described the mission as \u201csuccessful\u201d and said additional details, including evidence and next steps, would be shared during a news conference scheduled for later Saturday.<\/p>\n<div class=\"autors-widget\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<p>U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Maduro has been indicted in New York on multiple charges, including drug trafficking and weapons-related offenses. She stated that Maduro would be transported to the United States, where he would \u201cface the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts,\u201d emphasizing that the operation followed years of investigations by U.S. authorities.<\/p>\n<div class=\"google-auto-placed ap_container\">\n<p>Reports from Caracas indicated explosions across parts of the capital as low-flying aircraft were seen overhead during the early morning hours. Venezuela\u2019s government accused the United States of targeting both civilian and military infrastructure, calling the strikes an act of \u201cextremely serious military aggression.\u201d Officials declared a nationwide state of emergency and urged citizens to mobilize in defense of the country, framing the operation as an \u201cimperialist attack\u201d on Venezuelan sovereignty.<\/p>\n<div class=\"google-auto-placed ap_container\">\n<p>The situation inside Venezuela remained highly uncertain in the hours following the strikes. It was not immediately clear who was exercising control of the government or military. Under Venezuela\u2019s constitution, Vice President Delcy Rodr\u00edguez would assume authority in the event of the president\u2019s absence. Rodr\u00edguez said officials had not been informed of Maduro\u2019s location and questioned U.S. claims regarding his capture.<\/p>\n<div class=\"google-auto-placed ap_container\">\n<p>\u201cWe do not know the whereabouts of President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores,\u201d Rodr\u00edguez said in a public statement. \u201cWe demand proof of life and a clear explanation of their status.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"autors-widget\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<p>U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to comments relayed by a Republican senator, indicated that the United States did not anticipate further military action against Venezuela following the operation, suggesting the strikes were intended to be limited in scope.<\/p>\n<div class=\"google-auto-placed ap_container\">\n<p>The developments mark a dramatic escalation in U.S.-Venezuela relations after months of increased diplomatic and economic pressure from Washington, raising questions about regional stability and the international response in the days ahead.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The United States carried out what it described as a \u201clarge-scale\u201d military strike on Venezuela early Saturday, claiming the operation resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, according to statements from senior U.S. officials and President Donald Trump. The announcement immediately heightened tensions across the region and sparked&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":37232,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"default","_kad_post_title":"default","_kad_post_layout":"default","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"default","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"default","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[19,17,11,20,24,15,12,25,22,18,16,21,14,23,13],"class_list":["post-37231","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-chronic-diseases","tag-fitness","tag-health-tips","tag-healthcare-technology","tag-healthy-lifestyle","tag-healthy-living","tag-medical-advice","tag-medical-awareness","tag-medical-research","tag-mental-health","tag-nutrition","tag-patient-care","tag-preventive-care","tag-public-health","tag-wellness"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>U.S. Launches Strikes on Venezuela, Claims Capture of President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro - VM News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=37231\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"U.S. Launches Strikes on Venezuela, Claims Capture of President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro - VM News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The United States carried out what it described as a \u201clarge-scale\u201d military strike on Venezuela early Saturday, claiming the operation resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, according to statements from senior U.S. officials and President Donald Trump. 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