In a dramatic early-morning operation, US troops reportedly carried out a large-scale assault on Venezuela, targeting President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
According to former US President Donald Trump, the pair were captured and flown out of the country after what he described as a ‘brilliant operation’ involving careful planning and elite forces.
Witnesses in Caracas reported a series of explosions across the city and surrounding regions, causing widespread panic as helicopters and ground units moved through key urban areas, as per The Guardian. Trump took to social media to confirm the strike, promising more details at a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.
CBS News reported that Delta Force, the elite US military unit behind the 2019 operation that killed Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was responsible for the mission.
Venezuela’s vice-president, Delcy Rodriguez, appeared on state television, acknowledging she did not know the whereabouts of Maduro and Flores and demanding ‘proof of life’ for the couple. She accused the United States of targeting civilians and ‘murdering humble and innocent Venezuelan men and women.’
The Venezuelan government called on citizens to resist what it described as an imperialist assault, warning that the attacks threatened to plunge Latin America into chaos. Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez condemned the operation as ‘deplorable’ and ‘criminal,’ accusing the invaders of desecrating Venezuelan territory and vowing that the nation would form an ‘indestructible wall of resistance.’
Authorities confirmed that three additional states—Miranda, La Guaira, and Aragua—had also been targeted during the pre-dawn offensive. Government statements claimed the attacks aimed to seize control of Venezuela’s strategic resources, including oil and minerals, and urged the international community to denounce the strikes as a violation of international law.
Meanwhile, Venezuelans in the capital grappled with the aftermath of the explosions, assessing damage and accounting for the injured. Rodriguez described the nation as ‘calm’ but absorbing the gravity of the military aggression. As investigations continue, the situation remains tense, with both sides issuing strong warnings about the consequences of the unprecedented operation.
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