Venezuela in limbo after Maduro ouster by US

The Chinese Foreign Ministry called on the US to immediately release Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife from US custody and resolve the situation in Venezuela through dialogue and negotiation.

The ministry said in a statement that the US should also ensure the personal safety of Maduro and his wife, saying their deportation violated international law and norms.

China said Saturday it was "deeply shocked by" the attack on Venezuela, the Xinhua state-run news agency reported, citing the Foreign Ministry.

The US attack on Venezuela came hours after a delegation of Chinese officials arrived in Caracas and met with Maduro to discuss tensions with the United States.

The Trump administration has long accused Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro of being a criminal and indicated its intent to prosecute him in a US court.

It has stepped up its pressure on the Venezuelan leader over the past months, among other things destroying more than 30 boats sailing near Venezuela in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean that it says were involved in drug trafficking.

US President DonaldTrump also last month ordered a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers sailing to or from Venezuela, which has led to the seizure of several vessels since then.

In another telling indication that a military operation could be imminent, the US in the last weeks signed an agreement with Trinidad and Tobago, a close island neighbor of Venezuela, to allow the US military access to its airports.

Trump said US forces turned off "almost all of the lights" in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, while the operation to capture Maduro and his wife was underway.

General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said US forces had rehearsed for the operation for months.

He said the operation had made use of intelligence gathered over months about Maduro's behavior, including learning where he was and what he ate, as well as details of his pets and his clothes.

Caine said 150 aircraft took part in the early morning operation, taking off from several airports "across the Western Hemisphere."

According to Caine, an "extraction force" carried by helicopters and "protected by overhead tactical aviation" had carried out the capture of Maduro and his wife at the president's palace, saying the two "gave up."

No US lives or aircraft had been lost in the operation, Caine said.

Although Venezuela has yet to issue an official death toll, a number of people in the country, including civilians, are believed to have been killed.

With Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro currently in a New York detention center awaiting a court appearance to answer charges, including one of "narco-terrorism conspiracy," Venezuela potentially faces a period of political instability.

US President Donald Trump has said Washington would "run the ountry until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition," but it remains unclear how this would be implemented.

In fact, other officials from Maduro's government appear to consider it to be still in charge.

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

His vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, who has been ordered by a Venezuelan court to take on the job of interim president, has so far seemed to demur, calling Maduro "the only president of Venezuela" and demanding his release.

Rodriguez had previously received the support of Trump, who said, "She's essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again."

Trump has been negative about the prospect of opposition figure and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado being a contender for the Venezuelan leadership, saying that she "doesn't have the support within or the respect within the country."

Machado herself has called for the opposition's 2024 election candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, to "immediately" assume the presidency.

Gonzalez, whom many Western leaders saw as a winner of the 2024 election, has also received the explicit backing of French PresidentEmmanuel Macron.

The US has lifted restrictions on commercial flights in Caribbean airspace that it imposed during its military operation in Venezuela on Saturday morning.

In a post on social media platform X, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that the initial restrictions expired at 12:00 a.m. (0500 GMT) and that flights could resume as scheduled.

"Airlines are informed, and will update their schedules quickly," Duffy said.

The US Federal Aviation Administration had told commercial airlines on Saturday to avoid Caribbean airspace because of a "potentially hazardous situation."

It said the restrictions were due to "safety-of-flight risks associated with ongoing military activity."

DW continues its coverage of events in Venezuela following the surprise US attack that led to the capture of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife.

Although many Western countries did not recognize Maduro as a legitimate president, the US actions have raised fears that Washington is putting itself above international law.

Russia, China and Brazil are among the countries that have roundly condemned the US for its ouster of Maduro, which has, however, been enthusiastically welcomed by many Venezuelans living in exile.

Despite US President Donald Trump's assertion that the US will "run" Venezuela until a democratically elected government is in place, the country is currently in a state of political limbo.

Read on here for the latest headlines on the unfolding situation in Venezuela.

Review developments as they happened in Saturday's live updates.