American action against Venezuela escalated overnight as President Donald Trump announced a Saturday press conference to share details, including on the capture of the nation’s dictator.
Throughout the first year of his second administration, the president’s effort to restore America’s sovereignty has featured numerous actions against narco-terrorists, up to and including Venezuela’s self-styled president, Nicolás Maduro. Having already increased pressure on the regime from striking alleged cartel boats to seizing oil tankers under sanction, Trump announced the success of a strike against Venezuela overnight and the removal of Maduro from the country.
Posting on Truth Social, the commander-in-chief stated, “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. Details to follow. There will be a News Conference today at 11 A.M., at Mar-a-Lago. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
“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.… pic.twitter.com/sFa5OC4ZrZ
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 3, 2026
CBS News chief foreign affairs correspondent Margaret Brennan cited opposition leader Maria Corina Machado’s campaign deputy director, David Smolansky, in reporting sites hit in Venezuela.
They included: the main military base in Caracas, Fuerte Tiuna; the main airbase, La Carlota; the main signal antenna, El Volcán; and the main port of the nation, La Guaira Port.
Additionally, it had been reported that Higuerote Airport in Miranda, Venezuela’s second most populous state, was targeted in the strikes, as well as the mausoleum where the remains of former Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez were interred.
Confirmed targets of tonight’s strikes in Venezuela:
Fuerte Tiuna — the main military base in Caracas
La Carlota — the primary airbase in the capital
El Volcán — a major communications and signal antenna site
La Guaira Port — Venezuela’s main seaport
Higuerote Airport — an… pic.twitter.com/NkI8OurkAc— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) January 3, 2026
BREAKING:
The Mausoleum of Hugo Chávez has been struck. It housed his remains. pic.twitter.com/6nJuAliT7d
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) January 3, 2026
Identifying the U.S. Army’s Delta Force as responsible for the capture of Maduro, CBS News also reported that Christmas Day had been considered for the strikes, but the Nigeria operation against ISIS had been prioritized.
The Trump administration, along with the leadership of other nations, does not recognize Maduro’s claims to have won the 2024 presidential election. Early Saturday morning, Secretary of State Marco Rubio shared his statement from July 2025 that read, “Maduro is NOT the President of Venezuela and his regime is NOT the legitimate government. Maduro is head of the Cartel de Los Soles, a narco-terror organization which has taken possession of a country. And he is under indictment for pushing drugs into the United States.”
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) January 3, 2026
In their own statement on the strikes and capture of their dictator, Maduro’s government contended, “The objective of this attack is none other than to seize Venezuela’s strategic resources, particularly its oil and minerals, attempting to break the Nation’s political independence by force.”
“They will not succeed. After more than two hundred years of independence, the people and their legitimate Government remain steadfast in defense of sovereignty and the inalienable right to decide their own destiny,” continued the statement.
Sharing video of the streets of Caracas via Nick Sortor’s account, Utah Sen. Mike Lee (R) wrote on X, “I look forward to learning what, if anything, might constitutionally justify this action in the absence of a declaration of war or authorization for the use of military force.”
Lee went on to explain that he’d spoken with Rubio, who informed him that, “Maduro has been arrested by U.S. personnel to stand trial on criminal charges in the United States, and that the kinetic action we saw tonight was deployed to protect and defend those executing the arrest warrant. This action likely falls within the president’s inherent authority under Article II of the Constitution to protect U.S. personnel from an actual or imminent attack … He anticipates no further action in Venezuela now that Maduro is in U.S. custody.”
I look forward to learning what, if anything, might constitutionally justify this action in the absence of a declaration of war or authorization for the use of military force https://t.co/f5ackJn5Mi
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) January 3, 2026
He anticipates no further action in Venezuela now that Maduro is in U.S. custody
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) January 3, 2026
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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