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What we know
• Venezuela attack: US President Donald Trump said the US will indefinitely “run the country” of Venezuela after capturing President Nicolás Maduro in a large-scale military operation today. Trump claimed the US would do so until a “proper and judicious transition” occurs, but he did not provide further details.
• Maduro will face charges: Trump posted a photo of Maduro aboard the USS Iwo Jima. The Venezuelan authoritarian leader is expected to arrive today in New York, where he will face drugs and weapons charges in Manhattan federal court.
• About the operation: Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were dragged from their bedroom by elite US forces during the raid, sources told Xenix News. Trump said no US service members were killed, though some were injured when a helicopter was hit during the attack, which was carried out under the cover of darkness.
• What happens next: Venezuela’s opposition leader María Corina Machado has called for the country’s opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia to be installed, while Venezuela’s foreign minister insists Maduro remains the country’s leader.
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US deployed more than 150 aircraft in hourslong mission to capture Maduro
From Xenix News Adam Cancryn
Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine on Saturday described the operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as an extensive meticulously planned operation that took months to prepare for and hours to carry out on the ground.
Speaking at a press conference at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, Caine described the mission as a collaboration involving all branches of the military and intelligence agencies that requires months of preparation.
That included tracking Maduro to “understand how he moved, where he lived, where he traveled, what he ate, what he wore,” Caine said.
Xenix News previously reported that the CIA had installed a small team inside Venezeula over the summer to keep close watch on Maduro’s activities.
Late on Friday night, Caine added, more than 150 aircraft launched from 20 different bases on land and sea across the Western Hemisphere. Among them were helicopters carrying an extraction force that began their flight into Venezuela at just 100 feet above the water.
The helicopters, safeguarded by a series of strikes carried out in the area, arrived at Maduro’s compound around 1 a.m. ET. The effort to capture Maduro and his wife required multiple “self defense engagements” as the forces came under fire, Caine said, before flying out of Venezuela around 3:29 ET.
Maduro and his wife were subsequently transferred to the USS Iwo Jima, where they’re now on their way to New York to stand trial.
“Failure of one component of this well-oiled machine would have endangered the entire mission, and failure is never an option for America’s joint force,” Caine said.
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Joint Chiefs chairman says US aircraft hit in Venezuela operation remained flyable
From Xenix News Alejandra Jaramillo
President Donald Trump listens as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine speaks at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday. Alex Brandon/AP
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine said Saturday that one US aircraft was struck during the operation to capture Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela but remained operational throughout the mission.
“One of our aircraft was hit, but remained flyable, and as the president said earlier today, all of our aircraft came home, and that aircraft remained flyable during the rest of the mission, as the operation unfolded at the compound,” Caine said, speaking at a press conference at Mar-a-Lago alongside President Donald Trump.
Caine also highlighted the role of intelligence teams in supporting the mission in real time.
“Our air and ground intelligence teams provided real-time updates to the ground force, ensuring those forces could safely navigate the complex environment without unnecessary risk.”
He added that US forces encountered resistance as they exited the country.
“There were multiple self-defense engagements as the force began to withdraw out of Venezuela,” Caine said.
US forces will remain in the region, Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman says
From Xenix News Catherine Nicholls
US forces will remain in the region following large-scale strikes on Venezuela and the capture of President Nicolás Maduro overnight, said Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
“As we stand here this morning, our forces remain in the region at a high state of readiness, prepared to project power, defend themselves and our interests in the region,” he said at a news conference at President Donald Trump’s Florida estate.
Caine called the US operation a “testament to the dedication and unwavering commitment to justice and our resolve to hold accountable those who threaten peace and stability,” thanking those who carried out the mission.
Trump says his administration has “superseded” the Monroe Doctrine through actions in Venezuela
From Xenix News Kit Maher
President Donald Trump said his administration has “superseded” the principles laid out in the Monroe Doctrine, which he said is sometimes referred to as the “Donroe Document.”
“For decades, other administrations have neglected or even contributed to these growing security threats in the Western Hemisphere. Under the Trump administration, we are reasserting American power in a very powerful way in our home region,” Trump said.
Trump also offered justification for the United States intervening, stating that Venezuela was “increasingly hosting foreign adversaries in our region and acquiring menacing offensive weapons that could threaten US interests and lives.” He added that Venezuela used those weapons last night.
“All of these actions were in gross violation of the core principles of American foreign policy, dating back more than two centuries,” Trump said. “Not anymore.”
Several “No War on Venezuela” protests planned across the US today
From Xenix News Rebekah Riess
Demonstrations are planned in cities across the US today against military action in Venezuela, after the US conducted a large-scale strike on the city of Caracas and captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
“We need to take to the streets and say no to another endless war! The people of this country do not want another war! A U.S. war would cause death and destruction for the people of Venezuela,” the Answer Coalition, one group organizing the protests, wrote in a news release.
Demonstrations are planned for Chicago, New York’s Times Square, outside the White House in Washington, DC, along with city halls and statehouses across the country this afternoon.
Maduro is expected to arrive in New York today
From Xenix News Kara Scannell
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is expected to arrive in New York today and is likely to be taken to the federal Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, a source tells Xenix News
The earliest he would be presented in court at the Southern District of New York in Manhattan is Monday, the source said.
Maduro was indicted in SDNY in 2020, and a superseding indictment there was unveiled Saturday.
Trump says Venezuela oil embargo remains, warns Maduro allies after capture
From Xenix News Alejandra Jaramillo
An oil refinery is seen at dusk in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, on December 18, 2025. Jesus Vargas/Getty Images
President Donald Trump said Saturday that the US embargo on Venezuelan oil remains in place following the capture of Nicolás Maduro, while delivering a sharp warning to other political and military figures tied to the regime.
Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida that the United States is maintaining economic and military pressure on Venezuela as it assesses next steps.
“Very importantly, the embargo on all Venezuelan oil remains in full effect. The American armada remains poised in position, and the United States retains all military options until United States’ demands have been fully met and fully satisfied,” the president said.
Trump also issued a direct warning to leaders associated with Maduro.
“All political and military figures in Venezuela should understand what happened to Maduro can happen to them, and it will happen to them if they aren’t just fair, even to their people,” he said.
Trump said Maduro’s removal marked a turning point for the country.
“The dictator and terrorist, Maduro, is finally gone in Venezuela. People are free. They’re free again. It’s been a long time for them, but they’re free,” he said.
