Outrage as US strikes Venezuela, takes President into custody
The United States military early in the morning Saturday (January 03, 2026) conducted airstrikes on various locations in Venezuela and took into custody President Nicolas Maduro sparking a global outrage
Caracas/Washington: The United States military early in the morning Saturday (January 03, 2026) conducted airstrikes on various locations in Venezuela and took into custody President Nicolas Maduro sparking a global outrage.
U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed the airstrikes on stratigically important locations in the capital Caracas and other places in the country in a post on Truth Social. Trump also said Nicolas Maduro has been “captured” along with his wife Cilia Flores.
Trump said Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been "captured" and "flown out of the country" in a joint operation with US law enforcement agencies.
“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. This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement”, Trump wrote.
“Military Aggression”
Earlier, Venezuela confirmed that several parts of the country, including the capital and three surrounding states, came under attack, as it accused the United States of carrying out what it described as a “military aggression”.
In a statement, the Venezuelan government said it “rejects, repudiates and denounces before the international community” what it called an attack by the US on “Venezuelan territory and population” in civilian and military locations in Caracas, as well as in the states of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira.
The statement follows reports that at least seven explosions were heard in Caracas at about 02:00 AM local time Saturday, accompanied by the sound of low-flying aircraft.
Outrage, Condemnations
A number of countries including Russia, Columbia and Cuba, has condemned the U.S. airstrikes on Venezuela with international experts describing the latest development as “end of international law”.
“The Government of Colombia rejects the aggression against Venezuela’s sovereignty and against Latin America,” Colombian President Gustavo Petro wrote in a social media post.
He added that Colombia, as a member of the United Nations Security Council, was already contacting partners to support convening the council meet.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry, while condemning the US airstrikes as an “act of armed aggression against Venezuela, called for restraint, and warned against further escalation.
“The pretexts cited to justify these actions are untenable. Ideologically driven hostility has prevailed over practical pragmatism and a willingness to build relations based on trust and predictability,” the statement said.
Trump had accused Venezuela of indulging in drug trafficking, illegal immigrants among other things. Maduro has denied any role as a cartel leader and accused Washington of seeking to depose him to gain access to Venezuela's oil.
“Criminal Attack”
Cuba’s President Miguel Diaz-Canel issued a sharply worded condemnation on social media, accusing Washington of carrying out a “criminal attack” against Venezuela and calling for an urgent international response.
In a post on X, Diaz-Canel said Cuba’s so-called “zone of peace” was being “brutally assaulted”, describing the US action as “state terrorism” directed not only at the Venezuelan people but at “Our America” more broadly.
He ended the statement with the revolutionary slogan: “Homeland or Death, We Shall Overcome.”
Sultan Barakat, professor of public policy at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar, told Al Jazeera that the US’s actions in Venezuela signal an end to respect for international law and that it has also given international rivals an excuse to do the same thing.
“This is probably a nail in the coffin of any international agreement. The very principle of state sovereignty now has been taken apart,” Barakat said.
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