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Everything we know about US strikes on Venezuela | World News
The US has carried out a “large-scale strike” against Venezuela, and its leader, Nicolas Maduro, has been flown out of the country with his wife.
The strikes mark a dramatic escalation after months of tension between the two countries and a US military build-up in the region.
This is what we know so far.
Where and when did the US strike?
Several explosions rang out in Caracas, Venezuela’s capital, early on Saturday, as low-flying aircraft swept over the city.
Witnesses reported smoke rising from the hangar of a military base in Caracas.
US strikes Venezuela: Follow latest
The explosions in Caracas sent people rushing into the streets, while others posted videos of the blasts on social media.
The strikes, which lasted about 30 minutes, also hit the states of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira, according to the Venezuelan government.
With an emergency order, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) prohibited US flights over Venezuela over a “potentially hazardous situation”, citing “ongoing military activity”.
Residents stand in front of their homes in Caracas. Pic: Reuters
How was Maduro captured?
In a post on Truth Social, Donald Trump said Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were “captured” and flown out of the country after the US “successfully carried out a large-scale strike”.
He added: “This operation was done in conjunction with US Law Enforcement. Details to follow.”
Maduro was captured by elite special forces troops, a US official told the Reuters news agency.
Sources inside the opposition told Sky News they believe Maduro’s capture was a “negotiated exit”.
There was no immediate confirmation by the Venezuelan government of Maduro’s capture or departure from the country.
National emergency declared
The Venezuelan government declared a national emergency “to protect the rights of the population, the full functioning of republican institutions, and to immediately transition to armed struggle”, adding: “The entire country must mobilise to defeat this imperialist aggression.”
It accused the US of trying to “seize Venezuela’s strategic resources, particularly its oil and minerals, attempting to forcibly break the nation’s political independence”.
It said it “rejects, repudiates, and denounces” America’s “military aggression”.
A statement added: “Such aggression threatens international peace and stability, specifically in Latin America and the Caribbean, and seriously endangers the lives of millions of people.”
Map of Venezuela’s military bases.
Why now?
Mr Trump has escalated a pressure campaign on Maduro, threatening to order strikes on targets on Venezuelan land following months of attacks on boats that the US administration accused of carrying drugs.
Maduro repeatedly said the campaign was simply the US trying to oust him from power.
The Trump administration has accused Venezuela of failing to cooperate with anti-drug efforts over domestic criminal groups.
It has charged Maduro with narco-terrorism in the United States. The CIA was behind a drone strike last week at a docking area believed to have been used by Venezuelan drug cartels.
Until today, that was the first known direct operation on Venezuelan soil since the US began strikes in September.
