U.S. forces launched large-scale strikes across northern Venezuela, including Caracas, where elite special operations troops, supported by over 150 aircraft, raided President Nicolás Maduro’s compound, capturing him and his wife, Cilia Flores, with minimal initial resistance before transferring them by helicopter to the USS Iwo Jima and then to New York.
President Trump declared the mission a success with no U.S. fatalities—though some injuries occurred—and posted a photo of Maduro in custody, blindfolded and appearing alert while holding a water bottle. Attorney General Pam Bondi unsealed indictments charging the couple with narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation, and weapons offenses in the Southern District of New York. Trump also announced that the U.S. would temporarily “run the country” during a transition and acknowledged the use of boots on the ground and a potential future military presence.
Speculation has grown that the intervention aimed less at curbing drug trafficking—Venezuela’s volumes are lower than Mexico’s—and more at securing the nation’s enormous 303 billion barrels of proven oil reserves —the world’s largest —promising vast financial gains through revitalized production and U.S. corporate investment.
International reactions remain deeply divided, with strong condemnation from Russia, China, Iran, and parts of Latin America over sovereignty violations, contrasting cautious support from others like Europe or full support like Israel. Among Venezuelans, diaspora communities and opposition supporters in the U.S. and abroad celebrated jubilantly. At the same time, regime loyalists inside the country expressed anxiety and staged protests, fearing prolonged foreign influence or instability.
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