WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump has said that Washington carried out a “large scale strike” against Venezuela, and that President Nicolas Maduro and his wife have been “captured and flown out of the country.”
“The United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform on Saturday.
Trump said the military raid was conducted “in conjunction with US law enforcement.”
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He said additional details would be released later, and a news conference would be held at 11 am at his Mar-a-Lago residence in the US state of Florida.
Separately, in a brief phone interview with the New York Times (NYT), Trump hailed the success of the strike.
“A lot of good planning and lot of great, great troops and great people,” Trump was quoted as saying by the NYT.
“It was a brilliant operation, actually,” he added.
Asked if he had sought congressional authority for the operation or what is next for Venezuela, Trump said he would address those matters during the news conference.
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Massive explosions, loud noises and columns of smoke were reported in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, in the early hours of January 3, following alleged 'US strikes' on multiple targets pic.twitter.com/XHxH1rvwnj
— TRT World (@trtworld) January 3, 2026
C. TRT World
