US Military Operation Detains Venezuela’s President, Trump Says

The United States dramatically escalated tensions with Venezuela after President Donald Trump announced that U.S. forces had carried out overnight airstrikes and detained Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro along with First Lady Cilia Flores. The operation came after months of worsening relations between the two countries.

Before addressing the public at a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, Trump shared an image on his Truth Social account that he claimed showed Maduro being held on the U.S. warship USS Iwo Jima. The photo appeared to depict Maduro wearing a grey tracksuit, blindfolded, and holding a bottle of water.

During the press briefing, Trump stated that the United States would temporarily assume control of Venezuela’s governance until what he described as a careful and orderly transfer of power could take place.

Venezuelan authorities reported that U.S. attacks had struck three states outside the capital, Caracas, while Colombian President Gustavo Petro said the strikes affected even more locations than officially acknowledged by Caracas.

Such an action is extremely rare in modern times. While the United States has captured foreign heads of state before notably Iraq’s Saddam Hussein and Panama’s Manuel Noriega those arrests followed full-scale invasions during formally declared wars, making this operation highly unusual.