Explosions, aircraft, panic: Maduro declares nationwide emergency after US strikes rock Venezuela — what we know so far | World News

Venezuela’s government on Saturday accused the United States of launching coordinated attacks on civilian and military installations across several states, saying the country had been “subjected to criminal military aggression by the US government” driven by “greed for our strategic resources.

” The accusations followed reports of multiple explosions and low-flying aircraft over Caracas around 2 am local time, with the situation escalating further after US President Donald Trump claimed that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro had been captured following what he described as a “large-scale” American strike.Venezuelan vice president Delcy Rodríguez said the whereabouts of Maduro and his wife are currently unknown and called on authorities to provide proof that they are alive.Following the initial attacks, Maduro had declared a nationwide state of emergency, ordered national defence plans to be implemented and called for “mass mobilisation,” even as Washington signals a dramatic intensification of its campaign against the Maduro government.

US President Donald Trump claimed that American forces had carried out a “large scale strike” against Venezuela and that President Nicolás Maduro, along with his wife, had been captured and flown out of the country.

In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said the operation was conducted in conjunction with US law enforcement agencies and described it as a successful mission against the Venezuelan leader.A US official also said Nicolas Maduro was captured by elite US special forces troops. He added that more details would follow and announced a news conference scheduled for 11 am at Mar-a-Lago. The Venezuelan government has not yet responded to Trump’s claim, and there has been no independent confirmation of Maduro’s reported capture so far.Meanwhile, US officials later told CBS News that President Donald Trump ordered strikes on sites inside Venezuela, including military facilities, as Washington escalated its campaign against the Maduro government.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro shared Venezuela’s official statement on X, which said:“The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela rejects, repudiates, and denounces before the international community the extremely serious military aggression perpetrated by the current Government of the United States of America against Venezuelan territory and population in the civilian and military areas of the city of Caracas, capital of the Republic, and the states of Miranda, Aragua, and La Guaira.This act constitutes a flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter, particularly its Articles 1 and 2, which enshrine respect for sovereignty, the legal equality of States, and the prohibition on the use of force. Such aggression threatens international peace and stability, specifically in Latin America and the Caribbean, and puts the lives of millions of people at grave risk.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…”

In an official statement, Venezuelan defence minister Vladimir Padrino López said the US assault struck urban areas, with missiles and rockets fired from American combat helicopters.

He said authorities were assessing the number of people killed and injured and confirmed that the Fort Tiuna military complex in Caracas was among the targets hit, reported CNN.López said Venezuela would resist the presence of foreign troops on its soil, adding, “This invasion represents the greatest outrage the country has suffered.”The defense ministry further said Venezuela was "subjected to criminal military aggression by US government" and the attacks were "driven by greed for our strategic resources," reported RT.“People to the streets!” the statement said. “The Bolivarian Government calls on all social and political forces in the country to activate mobilization plans and repudiate this imperialist attack.”The statement added that President Nicolás Maduro had “ordered all national defense plans to be implemented” and declared “a state of external disturbance.”

The incident comes amid heightened tensions between Caracas and Washington.In a pre-taped interview aired on Thursday, Maduro said the United States wants to force a government change in Venezuela and gain access to its vast oil reserves through a months-long pressure campaign that began with a major US military deployment to the Caribbean Sea in August.Maduro has been charged with narco-terrorism in the United States.

Trump had, for months, threatened that he could soon order strikes on targets on Venezuelan land.The United States has seized sanctioned oil tankers off the coast of Venezuela, and Trump ordered a blockade of others, a move that appeared designed to tighten pressure on the South American country’s economy.The US military has been attacking boats in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean since early September. As of Friday, there have been 35 known boat strikes and at least 115 people killed, according to figures released by the Trump administration.The strikes followed a major buildup of American forces off South America, including the arrival in November of the US military’s most advanced aircraft carrier, adding thousands of troops to what was already the region’s largest US military presence in generations.Trump had justified the strikes as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States and has said the US is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels.The strikes followed months of US military buildup in the region, including the deployment of the USS Gerald R Ford aircraft carrier and several other warships in the Caribbean.In recent weeks, the United States has seized two oil tankers off Venezuela and launched deadly strikes on more than 30 boats which, according to the US, were carrying drugs.(With inputs from AP)