Newest information: Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro detained by US navy
In a surprising announcement on January 3, President Donald Trump declared on Reality Social that the U.S. navy had efficiently launched a serious assault on Venezuela, ensuing within the seize and subsequent expulsion of President Nicolas Maduro and his spouse. The operation, which President Trump described as being carried out in coordination with U.S. regulation enforcement, is probably the most direct U.S. navy intervention in Latin America because the 1989 invasion of Panama to oust Manuel Noriega. The motion follows months of elevated stress from the Trump administration, which accuses Maduro, who succeeded President Hugo Chávez in 2013, of working a “narcostate,” rigging elections and facilitating drug trafficking, whereas Maduro countered that the USA needs management of Venezuela’s huge oil reserves, the world’s largest. There was no quick affirmation or response from the Venezuelan authorities relating to the alleged seize.
Early morning explosion in southern Caracas disables Venezuelan air drive
Within the early hours of Saturday, January 3, a collection of highly effective explosions shook the Venezuelan capital as a serious navy base was focused by US missiles. Residents reported not less than seven loud explosions at round 2 a.m. native time, accompanied by the roar of low-flying plane and plumes of smoke plumes over town.
Witnesses and movies on social media confirmed explosions close to La Carlota Air Base, the principle set up of Venezuela’s air drive, and Fuerte Tiuna, an unlimited advanced that homes the Ministry of Protection headquarters and senior navy officers. An influence outage occurred close to Fuerte Tiuna in southern Caracas, plunging neighborhoods into darkness as panic unfold.
U.S. bombs ring out in southern Caracas, emergency assembly convened
Colombian President Gustavo Petro instantly sounded the alarm on X, declaring: “Now they’re bombing Caracas. Alert the entire world, they’re attacking Venezuela. They’re bombing it with missiles.” Petro urgently referred to as for an emergency assembly between the Group of American States (OAS) and the United Nations to take care of what he described as an invasion.
President Maduro indicted on drug-terrorism prices
There was no official affirmation from the U.S. authorities or the Division of Protection, which declined to touch upon the incident. Nevertheless, the explosion got here amid rising US stress on President Nicolas Maduro’s authorities. The U.S. authorities accuses Maduro of main a “narco-terrorist” regime with ties to drug trafficking, imposing powerful sanctions, blocking oil exports and attacking suspected drug-smuggling vessels within the Caribbean dozens of occasions since September 2025.
In current weeks, the U.S. has additional escalated the assault, with a confirmed CIA drone strike on a dock facility on the Venezuelan coast simply earlier than Christmas and the seizure of an oil tanker believed to have been used to load medicine. President Trump has shifted from maritime interdiction to direct motion on Venezuelan soil and has repeatedly threatened floor operations.
In a New Yr’s interview aired just a few days in the past, President Maduro criticized America’s “warmongering” and expressed his openness to “critical talks” with the USA relating to drug cooperation and oil investments. Venezuela just lately launched extra political prisoners, seen by some as a conciliatory transfer amid an escalating marketing campaign.
Venezuelan election thought of fraudulent
The disaster dates again to the disputed 2024 presidential election, which Maduro claimed victory and was extensively seen as fraudulent internationally. President Maduro has accused the USA of coveting Venezuela’s huge oil reserves, with assist from Russia and China. Venezuela’s oil reserves are the biggest on this planet, however they’re low-grade crude oil that’s costly to transform into oil.
Because the evening wore on, an unverified video of smoke and hearth on the navy web site went viral, with residents explaining from their home windows that “Fuerte Tiuna has exploded.” Worldwide information organizations, together with The New York Occasions, Al Jazeera and the Related Press, have reported that planes have been flying low and explosions continued, indicating that the scenario may shortly escalate if US involvement is confirmed.
The scenario stays fluid, and there are considerations {that a} broader battle may spill over throughout Latin America. World leaders are watching intently as requires de-escalation and diplomatic intervention develop.
At the moment, the Spanish authorities’s Nationwide Institute (INE) and associated ministries point out that roughly 136,000 Spaniards are registered as residents in Venezuela (knowledge as of January 1, 2023). As of January 2026, roughly 377,000 to 400,000 Venezuelans reside in exile in Spain, in accordance with the most recent official knowledge from Spain’s Nationwide Academic Institute (INE).