-   [](https://edition.cnn.com/world/live-news/venezuela-explosions-caracas-intl-hnk-01-03-26)[
    
    Live Updates Maduro captured after US strike on Venezuela, Trump says
    
    
    
    ](https://edition.cnn.com/world/live-news/venezuela-explosions-caracas-intl-hnk-01-03-26)
-   [](https://cnnespanol.cnn.com/venezuela/live-news/explosiones-caracas-venezuela-en-vivo-orix)[
    
    Live Updates En español: cobertura en vivo del ataque en Venezuela
    
    
    
    ](https://cnnespanol.cnn.com/venezuela/live-news/explosiones-caracas-venezuela-en-vivo-orix)

Live Updates

## Maduro arrives in US to face charges as Trump vows to ‘run’ Venezuela and take control of oil reserves

• **JUST IN:** A plane carrying captured Venezuelan President [Nicolás Maduro](https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/03/americas/venezuela-explosions-intl-hnk) and his wife, [Cilia Flores](https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/venezuela-explosions-caracas-intl-hnk-01-03-26?post-id=cmjyoylyv000h356pz89a7p8x), has arrived at Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York, according to a federal official. Maduro is expected to face [drugs and weapons charges](https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/venezuela-explosions-caracas-intl-hnk-01-03-26?post-id=cmjya6mkr00003b6pk95qwcfb) in Manhattan federal court next week.

• **Trump’s plan for Venezuela:** President Donald Trump said the US will indefinitely [“run the country”](https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/venezuela-explosions-caracas-intl-hnk-01-03-26?post-id=cmjyjdicr00003b6q4uv9mv1y) after Maduro’s ouster and seize Venezuela’s [massive oil reserves](https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/03/business/oil-gas-venezuela-maduro), recruiting American companies to invest billions of dollars in the gutted industry. Trump said US troops will have a presence in Venezuela [“as it pertains to oil.”](https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/venezuela-explosions-caracas-intl-hnk-01-03-26?post-id=cmjyko2z100133b6on4afgedp)

• **Uncertain future:** Trump [told reporters](https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/venezuela-explosions-caracas-intl-hnk-01-03-26?post-id=cmjykgy3l00003b61f10allg2) earlier that the US is working with Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, [who has demanded Maduro’s release](https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/venezuela-explosions-caracas-intl-hnk-01-03-26?post-id=cmjyro2w80005356rldc4bso0) and insisted he remains the country’s legitimate president. Meanwhile, Venezuela’s opposition leader, María Corina Machado, has called for an opposition candidate [**to assume power**](https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/venezuela-explosions-caracas-intl-hnk-01-03-26?post-id=cmjyha4en0005356p8uw5vphi). Maduro’s capture has been met [with celebrations in South Florida](https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/03/us/reaction-us-venezuela-maduro-capture) and [apprehension in Caracas](https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/venezuela-explosions-caracas-intl-hnk-01-03-26?post-id=cmjyfq67700003b6r5hsadfnu).

Hours after the US capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, many leaders of Venezuela’s socialist movement known as Chavismo have yet to publicly accept their removal from power.

Vice President Delcy Rodríguez and Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello continue to insist that Maduro remains president. They may be keeping up appearances, but there is no clear sense of what will happen next. Beyond police and some military personnel on the streets, the country is waiting for the next move by local authorities.

Following such events, uncertainty reigns in Venezuela. US President Donald Trump has said that Washington will govern Venezuela “until there can be a transition,” without clarifying how or for how long. All of this while downplaying a role for María Corina Machado, the opposition leader who won the Nobel Peace Prize last year.

Venezuela’s constitution establishes that Rodríguez should step in as the country’s leader. Trump did not rule out working with her, though he did not specify in what role.

If there is a plan B that does not involve the White House, there are still no signs of it.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has already spoken with Rodríguez, Trump said. Is anyone talking to the remaining pro-Maduro leaders — including Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino? Will they go to Belarus, China, Cuba, Russia, Turkey? Or will they risk a second US military operation to capture them as well?

Several analysts in other countries fear that a Chavismo pushed out of power could end up triggering a “guerrilla war” (like those of the 1960s, but with its own motivations), making governance impossible in the short term and further collapsing the economy.

Venezuelans que for groceries and goods as uncertainty looms without Maduro

00:40 • Source: [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/)

Venezuelans que for groceries and goods as uncertainty looms without Maduro

00:40

Just hours after Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was taken by US forces today, residents in Caracas headed to stores to load up on food and supplies amid an uncertain future in their country.

Aside from lines at stores, videos obtained by CNN showed streets were mostly empty and quiet around the city.

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez has demanded the “immediate release” of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who were [dragged from their bedroom overnight](https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/venezuela-explosions-caracas-intl-hnk-01-03-26?post-id=cmjyanxh20005356pa0ztm46n) during the large-scale US military operation.

[_Sigue nuestra cobertura en español del ataque en Venezuela_](https://cnnespanol.cnn.com/venezuela/live-news/explosiones-caracas-venezuela-en-vivo-orix?t=1767453910168).

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez demanded Saturday the “immediate release” of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who were captured overnight during a US military operation.

Rodríguez made the demand hours after the capture of Maduro and Flores, carried out during a US operation in Caracas and other parts of the South American country. Washington has justified the action by arguing that the couple and other Venezuelan public figures are responsible for narco-terrorism, drug trafficking and other crimes – charges that Caracas rejects.

“We demand the immediate release of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, Rodríguez said Saturday afternoon during a session of the National Defense Council that was broadcast by state television network VTV. She called Maduro “the sole president of Venezuela.”

Alongside other senior officials, Rodríguez described the capture of Maduro and Flores as a “kidnapping,” said that violations of international law were committed and accused US forces of having “savagely attacked” Venezuela’s territorial integrity.

The vice president added that the Venezuelan government will issue a decree declaring a “state of external emergency,” which it will submit to the country’s Supreme Court for validation. She called on the public to prepare to “defend” the country, without providing details.

“We are calling for the defense of life. Not a single Venezuelan man or woman should remain on the sidelines, because the extremists who have provoked this armed aggression against our country will be made to pay by history and justice,” Rodríguez said. She urged other Latin American governments to support Venezuela.

Rodríguez’s remarks contrasted with those made shortly before by US President Donald Trump, who said at a press conference in Florida that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had spoken with the vice president and that she, according to Trump, had expressed willingness to cooperate in a new phase for the country.

“There is a vice president who was appointed by Maduro; at this moment she is the vice president. I imagine that the president has just assumed power. She had a conversation with Marco. She said, ‘We’ll do whatever you need.’ I think she was quite courteous. We’re going to do this right,” Trump said.

CNN has contacted the US State Department and is seeking to contact Venezuela’s vice presidency for comment on the conflicting statements.

A plane carrying captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, [**Cilia Flores**](https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/venezuela-explosions-caracas-intl-hnk-01-03-26?post-id=cmjyoylyv000h356pz89a7p8x), has arrived at Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York, according to a federal official.

The Venezuelan leader is expected to face drugs and weapons charges in Manhattan federal court next week.

The couple was [**dragged from their bedroom**](https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/venezuela-explosions-caracas-intl-hnk-01-03-26?post-id=cmjyanxh20005356pa0ztm46n) during a large-scale operation by the US military in Caracas overnight.

The US Department of Justice unsealed a new indictment today against Maduro, along with his wife and son.

Hundreds of flights from Caribbean airports have been canceled or delayed following US strikes in Venezuela as the Federal Aviation Administration has [restricted the airspace](https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/venezuela-explosions-caracas-intl-hnk-01-03-26?post-id=cmjyomsvf0005356pmhlvyzcc) over the Caribbean.

JetBlue is one of the most heavily impacted airlines, according to flight-tracking site FlightAware. The airline has canceled 209 flights, or 21%, and delayed another 263 (26%), as of 4 p.m. ET. The company told CNN in an email flights to the Dominican Republic and Jamaica are not affected by the government’s restrictions, and affected customers can rebook or request a refund.

American Airlines and Delta Air Lines have each canceled 4% of their flights on Saturday, and United Airlines has canceled 3% due to the FAA’s restrictions imposed early Saturday.

According to FlightAware, 200 flights (58%) have been canceled out of the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in Puerto Rico. Forty-five flights (57%) were canceled out of Aruba’s Queen Beatrix International Airport, 48% of flights were canceled from Saint Thomas’ Cyril E. King Airport and 66% of flights were canceled from Saint Lucia.

Delta said 13 airports in the Caribbean were affected by the mandatory flight restriction, affecting customers with flights scheduled between Saturday and Monday. The company said affected customers were given a travel waiver for rescheduling flights on or before January 9.

American Airlines said in a statement it canceled all flights to and from the Caribbean on Saturday and capped fares to and from the 19 affected airports.

United Airlines told CNN on Saturday morning affected customers could reschedule their flights for free.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said in a call with reporters this afternoon that he has yet to be briefed on the US operation in Caracas that led to the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

Earlier today, [Schumer issued a statement](https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/venezuela-explosions-caracas-intl-hnk-01-03-26?post-id=cmjymh9u200003b6pl09axqny) calling for an immediate briefing and criticizing the Trump administration for not seeking congressional authorization before the attack.

Schumer added during the call that the Senate next week will take up a resolution introduced by the New York Democrat, Virginia Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine, Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff of California and Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul, seeking to curb President Donald Trump’s ability to use the military in Venezuela without authorization from Congress.

**On a separate call with reporters** this afternoon, Kaine urged lawmakers to pass the resolution, calling the strike illegal because Congress was not notified in advance.

“There is zero legal rationale for waging war within or against Venezuela without a vote of Congress. Congress has not voted. Congress was not notified. Congress was not consulted,” Kaine said.

He continued, “Should we just allow the president to decide to wage war in secret, without notification of the public or Congress, to execute an arrest warrant? Is that what the standard is now?”

As news moves quickly out of Venezuela, officials in the US are reacting to updates on the large-scale military operation today which resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro.

**New York Gov. Kathy Hochul** [said](https://x.com/GovKathyHochul/status/2007487851819086176) her state “is home to a vibrant Venezuelan community” and she stands “with families here and abroad in their hopes for a better more stable future.”

Maduro is expected to arrive in New York, where he will face [drugs and weapons charges](https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/venezuela-explosions-caracas-intl-hnk-01-03-26?post-id=cmjya6mkr00003b6pk95qwcfb).

“While there are no credible threats to New York at this time, State Police are coordinating with our partners in law enforcement to monitor the situation and keep New Yorkers safe,” Hochul said.

**Texas Gov. Greg Abbott** celebrated the military operation, [saying on X](https://x.com/GregAbbott_TX/status/2007497900453245038) that “Texas and the world are better because of his capture.”

“Maduro is an indicted narco terrorist. His drug trafficking operation cost the lives of many Americans,” Abbott said. “God bless our United States military, and their commander-in-chief, Donald Trump.”

**Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson** condemned what he called an “illegal regime change abroad” and said the Trump administration’s operation “violates international law and dangerously escalates the possibility of full-scale war.”

“The illegal actions by the Trump administration have nothing to do with defending the Venezuelan people; they are solely about oil and power,” Johnson [wrote on X](https://x.com/ChicagosMayor/status/2007533827107795267?s=20).

World leaders have issued varying reactions after US forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro with his wife on Saturday.

Here’s a round-up of what we’ve seen so far:

-   **British Prime Minister Keir Starmer** said he would continue talking to US counterparts about a transition to democracy. “We regarded Maduro as an illegitimate President and we shed no tears about the end of his regime,” he [wrote](https://x.com/Keir_Starmer/status/2007540837224255602) on X.
-   **French President Emmanuel Macron** said Maduro had “gravely undermined the dignity of his own people.” Macron [added](https://x.com/EmmanuelMacron/status/2007525386977194040) that France wishes for a transition to democracy to be overseen by Edmundo González Urrutia, the [former candidate](https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/03/asia/venezuela-presidential-candidate-argentina-milei-maduro-intl-latam) in the disputed 2024 presidential election.
-   **EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen** said she was following the situation “very closely.” She [added](https://x.com/vonderleyen/status/2007440364135674172) that “any solution must respect international law and the UN Charter.”
-   **Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva** called the US strike on Venezuela a “serious affront” to the country’s sovereignty. The attack crossed an “unacceptable line,” he said.
-   **Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel** slammed what he called a “criminal” attack by the US on Venezuela [in a post on X](https://x.com/DiazCanelB/status/2007359344829141372?s=20).
-   **Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum** [shared](https://x.com/Claudiashein/status/2007424768845185274?s=20) a statement that said her government “strongly condemns and rejects” the attack.
-   **Argentine President Javier Milei,** an ally of US President Donald Trump, appeared to welcome the capture of Venezuela’s leader with a terse message on X: “Freedom advances! Long live freedom, damn it!”
-   **China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson** [said](https://x.com/mfa_china/status/2007460580089868702?s=46&t=-6Dgd1yrgnFc1NBOzYEtyA) that China was “deeply shocked by and strongly condemns the U.S.’s blatant use of force against a sovereign state.”

Across the US, Americans have taken to the streets to protest President Donald Trump’s military operation in Venezuela and capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife. While Venezuelans have had mixed reactions, many people in the US are voicing frustration with the looming potential of war and bloodshed over oil.

**Washington, DC:** Dozens have gathered outside the White House, holding signs reading “No War on Venezuela,” “No blood for oil” and “US hands off Latin America.” Protesters sang and held up Venezuelan flags.

**New York:** Crowds gathered in Times Square outside the US Army Recruiting Office, holding signs against war in Venezuela.

**Boston:** Crowds chanted “No more blood for oil / Hands off Venezuelan soil,” and held signs reading “Venezuela’s Not The Problem. Empire Is” and “No War on Venezuela” as local activists spoke against the strike.

**Minneapolis:** A hoard of people braved the freezing temperatures to protest, waving the Venezuelan flag and holding signs reading “Free President Maduro.”

Smaller protests have also occurred in Atlanta, while more in Chicago and Los Angeles are scheduled later this evening.

CNN analyst breaks down photo of Maduro in custody

01:01 • Source: [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/)

CNN analyst breaks down photo of Maduro in custody

01:01

A [photo](https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/venezuela-explosions-caracas-intl-hnk-01-03-26?post-id=cmjyijybh00003b6o88g558km) President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro aboard the USS Iwo Jima reveals clues about Maduro’s position, CNN Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst John Miller said.

Maduro is pictured wearing handcuffs and blackout goggles “so he can’t see where he is, where he’s moving from Point A to Point B,” Miller told CNN’s Erin Burnett.

Maduro is also shown wearing an inflatable life vest as well as earphones, which Miller says are meant to obstruct his hearing “so he can’t hear the conversations around him.”

Most notable, Miller said, is what appears to be the back of a Drug Enforcement Administration agent’s raid jacket behind Maduro.

“You can see where it says DEA,” Miller said. “That means he is under arrest by a US federal law enforcement authority from the New York office of the DEA and being brought to that arraignment.”

_This post has been updated with a video analysis of the image._

US President Donald Trump said Washington will take charge of governing Venezuela following the capture of President Nicolás Maduro, ruling out both the continuation of the socialist administration and the leadership of the Venezuelan opposition, which had expected to assume power.

Trump said at a press conference that he does not believe opposition leader María Corina Machado has the necessary support to govern the country. “I think it would be very difficult for her to be the leader. She does not have the support or the respect within the country. She is a very pleasant woman, but she does not have the respect needed to be a leader,” Trump said of the latest Nobel Peace Prize winner.

Trump did not specify what kind of support he was referring to; Machado is a former lawmaker who won the most recent opposition primaries by a wide margin. CNN contacted the communications teams of Machado and former presidential candidate Edmundo González regarding these statements and is awaiting a response.

The opposition maintains that González won the July 2024 presidential election with 67% of the vote, compared with Maduro’s 30%. However, Venezuela’s National Electoral Council declared Maduro the winner without releasing details of the vote count, a decision that was rejected by much of the international community.

Earlier, Machado said that González “must immediately assume his constitutional mandate and be recognized as commander-in-chief of the National Armed Forces by all officers and soldiers who make up its ranks.” Even U.S. allies, such as the governments of Argentina and Ecuador, as well as French President Emmanuel Macron, had expressed support for the opposition following Maduro’s detention.

Trump told reporters he has not been in contact with Machado since Maduro’s capture. When pressed on whether he is willing to work with Venezuela’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, Trump acknowledged that his administration has had contact with her and said she had been sworn in as interim president, while stressing that she was “chosen by Maduro.”

President Donald Trump said many Cubans died during the United States operation to capture Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela, though he did not provide more details.

The president said he did not know the exact death toll among Cuban and Venezuelan forces.

Trump said in the same interview that he is not considering military action against Cuba, but that it will “fall of its own volition.”

No US service members died during Maduro’s capture, though CNN reported that “a handful of troops sustained bullet and shrapnel wounds, but none are life-threatening,” according to a source briefed on the matter.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and wife Cilia Flores are expected to move from Guantanamo Bay “by air to a secure military facility, then likely by chopper to New York City” before “being brought to a federal facility” for booking, CNN Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst John Miller said.

“That’s the process where we’ve gone from the military operation to the criminal justice system,” he said. “That means he and his wife will be fingerprinted, they will be photographed, they will go through that process and then they will go to, presumably, the Metropolitan Detention Center (in Brooklyn).”

The Metropolitan Detention Center has been home to several key figures in famous federal cases, such as [Sean “Diddy” Combs](https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/19/us/mansion-to-misery-a-glimpse-inside-the-prison-sean-diddy-combs-is-calling-home) and [Sam Bankman-Fried.](https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/07/business/sam-bankman-fried-prison-interview-diddy/)

The couple would then proceed to the Southern District of New York courthouse for arraignment, Miller said.

Flores is “not just charged as (Maduro’s) wife,” but “as a real player here over the years,” Miller said.

The couple will not get “the Metropolitan Detention Center honeymoon suite,” he added, pointing out procedures separate male prisoners from female prisoners.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Saturday he called President Donald Trump to voice his opposition to the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife.

CNN has reached out to the White House for comment.

“I registered my opposition. I made it clear, and we left it at that,” Mamdani said.

Earlier Saturday, Mamdani [said he believed](https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/venezuela-explosions-caracas-intl-hnk-01-03-26?post-id=cmjymgaet00003b6qc6s4lg48) that the US operation to capture Maduro and his wife was a war crime and that it violated federal and international law.

Maduro is expected to be held in federal custody in New York City, where he is facing federal charges.

Mamdani, who is three days into his new term, said he had been briefed by his first deputy mayor and New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch following Maduro’s capture. He did not provide additional information about Maduro’s arrival but said he was working to ensure there would be minimal disruption to New Yorkers.

A set of photos released by the White House shows that President Donald Trump and senior officials at his Mar-a-Lago resort were keeping a watchful eye on X, Elon Musk’s social network, during the Venezuela operation.

The photos suggest US leaders were looking out for posts that might indicate public awareness of the military action while it was underway early this morning.

Several photos show Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other officials working in front of a projector image of a computer screen. Several X tabs are open on the screen. In two of the photos, someone had typed in a search term that looks like the word “Venezuela,” though the background is blurry.

In another photo, the well-known X account known as “OSINTdefender” is displayed. The account describes itself as an “Open Source Intelligence Monitor” that shares videos from conflicts around the world. The raw nature of the account’s content has both propelled its popularity and stoked many controversies about its credibility.

For Trump administration officials, the account might have been a free way to see if word was starting to spread about the overnight strikes on Caracas. The account’s first post about “initial reports of explosions” came at 1:04 a.m. ET, a short time after the photos were taken. Trump confirmed the US military action at 4:21 a.m. on his own platform, the X rival Truth Social.

This afternoon, “OSINTdefender” wrote on X of its prominence during the mission, “I’m truly flattered, but next time feel free to invite me inside the Situation Room,” adding a wink emoji.

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez asserted that Nicolás Maduro is “the only president of Venezuela” after US forces captured Maduro early Saturday.

In a defiant address broadcast from Caracas, Rodríguez said that Venezuelans “must not become slaves again.”

“We will never be a colony again,” she said.

She also condemned the “aggression” from the United States and declared that the “words of the president are the only ones we are guided by.”

Rodríguez sat alongside high-level government figures, including Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez and several military leaders.

President Donald Trump announced early today that the United States [had captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife](https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/03/americas/venezuela-explosions-intl-hnk) after carrying out airstrikes in the South American country.

[See more photos from today here.](https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/03/world/gallery/nicolas-maduro-captured-venezuela)

At the entrance of a Venezuelan restaurant in the small South Florida city of Doral, powerful and emotional verses of Venezuela’s national anthem rang out. Like those in the restaurant, many other Venezuelans all over the world took to the streets Saturday just hours after Donald Trump announced the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by US forces.

Something unites Venezuelans in Spain, the United States, Argentina and Colombia, according to testimonies obtained by CNN: the hope that this could be a chance to return home. But there is also concern about the country’s future and fears that loved ones in Venezuela could be at risk.

“What conflicting feelings: On one hand, it’s hard to explain what we feel seeing our Venezuela under bombardment, and as our loved ones remain there. On the other, we believe this may be the only way out. May God bless our beloved Venezuela,” a 51-year-old Venezuelan living in Miami told CNN, asking not to be named for fear of reprisals.

Venezuelans also celebrated in Madrid. “I know there’s still a long way to go, but no one can take this news out of our hearts, and I am incredibly happy,” Carolina Aponte told CNN. “I needed to come out and at least feel the embrace of some of my compatriots,” added the Caracas-born Venezuelan.

“At first we were crying because our country was being bombed, but when we were told they had Maduro, the reaction was … overwhelming,” said Macunayma Centeno, part of a nearly 700,000-strong Venezuelan diaspora in Spain, the largest in Europe.

[_Sigue nuestra cobertura en español del ataque en Venezuela_](https://cnnespanol.cnn.com/venezuela/live-news/explosiones-caracas-venezuela-en-vivo-orix?t=1767453910168).

The fall of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro

03:11 • Source: [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/)

The fall of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro

03:11

The Trump administration carried out a large-scale military operation in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas earlier today, striking various parts of the city and capturing the country’s President Nicolás Maduro.

_For those just joining us, here’s what you need to know:_

-   Venezuelans in Caracas were woken up by the [sound of explosions](https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/venezuela-explosions-caracas-intl-hnk-01-03-26?post-id=cmjxwou4k00003b6rhj1r1jpb). Footage verified by CNN showed strikes on [two airports](https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/venezuela-explosions-caracas-intl-hnk-01-03-26?post-id=cmjy23den000p3b6rdzw52kog) and [a port](https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/venezuela-explosions-caracas-intl-hnk-01-03-26?post-id=cmjy053n2000a3b6rxxm9si6s). Data from NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) detected [two heat signatures](https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/venezuela-explosions-caracas-intl-hnk-01-03-26?post-id=cmjy70q6200173b6r8a80w10p) near Fort Tiuna, a major Venezuelan military installation, in the early hours of the morning.
-   Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were [captured by US forces](https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/venezuela-explosions-caracas-intl-hnk-01-03-26?post-id=cmjy2xrou00003b6rg1hvx7zl) during the operation, Trump announced. They were [dragged from their bedroom](https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/venezuela-explosions-caracas-intl-hnk-01-03-26?post-id=cmjyanxh20005356pa0ztm46n) by US forces during the raid, two sources familiar with the matter said.
-   Maduro is expected to arrive in New York later today, where he will face [drugs and weapons charges](https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/venezuela-explosions-caracas-intl-hnk-01-03-26?post-id=cmjya6mkr00003b6pk95qwcfb), according to US Attorney General Pam Bondi.

-   Maduro [took office](https://www.cnn.com/2013/04/19/world/americas/venezuela-inauguration/index.html) as president of Venezuela in 2013. After that year, all national elections were shrouded in [doubts and controversies](https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/07/americas/venezuela-nicolas-maduro-profile-latam-intl), including its 2024 presidential elections, which the US said Maduro [had lost.](https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/01/americas/venezuela-election-opposition-machado-hiding-intl-latam)
-   His government has been accused of [crimes against humanity.](https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/16/americas/venezuela-crimes-against-humanity-un-report-intl) In a [December 2025 report](https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/12/1166565), the United Nations accused the country’s Bolivarian National Guard of conducting “a decade-long pattern of killings, arbitrary detentions, torture and sexual violence targeting protesters and opponents of President Nicolás Maduro.”
-   Venezuela’s opposition leader [María Corina Machado](https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/nobel-peace-prize-10-10-25?post-id=cmgkmfgcd00003b6nig6mqp2v) won this year’s Nobel Peace Prize for “promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela.” She went into hiding after the Venezuelan government moved to crush dissent following the disputed 2024 election, but [traveled to Oslo](https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/10/europe/nobel-prize-ceremony-machado-intl) in December after she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

-   US President Donald Trump said at a press conference earlier today that his country will [“run” Venezuela indefinitely](https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/venezuela-explosions-caracas-intl-hnk-01-03-26?post-id=cmjyjdicr00003b6q4uv9mv1y) after Maduro’s capture, without giving any details about how this would work or how long it could last.
-   Top US officials including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth would work with a “team” to [help run the country](https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/venezuela-explosions-caracas-intl-hnk-01-03-26?post-id=cmjykrs7o00033b6p888o5c44), Trump said during the press conference. The US is working with Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, Trump [told reporters](https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/venezuela-explosions-caracas-intl-hnk-01-03-26?post-id=cmjykgy3l00003b61f10allg2).
-   Trump also said he does not believe Machado has the [support or respect](https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/venezuela-explosions-caracas-intl-hnk-01-03-26?post-id=cmjylforg00003b60q7g55nus) needed to lead Venezuela.
-   Brian Finucane, a former legal adviser at the State Department who now serves as a senior adviser at the Crisis Group, has called Trump’s actions a a [“flagrant violation of the UN Charter.”](https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/venezuela-explosions-caracas-intl-hnk-01-03-26?post-id=cmjymhq0800003b6pol2eyn6j)

-   In today’s news conference, Trump announced that the US is [taking control](https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/03/business/oil-gas-venezuela-maduro) of Venezuela’s oil reserves, adding that American companies will be recruited to invest billions of dollars to refurbish the country’s gutted oil industry.
-   According to the [US Energy Information Administration](https://www.eia.gov/international/analysis/country/VEN) (EIA), Venezuela is sitting on a massive 303 billion barrels worth of crude — about a fifth of the world’s global reserves.
-   “We’re going to have our very large United States oil companies — the biggest anywhere in the world — go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure,” [Trump said](https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/venezuela-explosions-caracas-intl-hnk-01-03-26?post-id=cmjyjdicr00003b6q4uv9mv1y) at the news conference at Mar-a-Lago.

_CNN’s Isaac Yee, Thomas Bordeaux, Avery Schmitz, Allegra Goodwin, Kevin Liptak, Simone Pathe, Inés Capdevila, Jim Sciutto, Michael Rios, Adam Cancryn, Betsy Klein, Alejandra Jaramillo Natasha Bertrand, Zachary Cohen, Katie Bo Lillis, and David Goldman contributed to this reporting._

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez demanded the “immediate release” of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who were captured in a US military operation early Saturday.

“We demand the immediate release of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, the only president of Venezuela, President Nicolás Maduro,” Rodríguez said during a session of the National Defense Council broadcast by state television channel VTV.

Alongside other top officials, Rodríguez said that Venezuela’s territorial integrity was “savagely attacked” by the operation that the US carried out in Caracas and other parts of the country.