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US Strikes Venezuela Live Updates: The capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro followed a dramatic escalation in long-simmering tensions between the United States and Venezuela, culminating in a large-scale US military operation in Caracas. For years, Washington has accused the Maduro government of enabling drug trafficking networks, dismantling democratic institutions, mismanaging Venezuela’s vast oil wealth, and aligning with hostile global actors. These allegations led to sweeping US sanctions, the freezing of Venezuelan state assets abroad, and repeated diplomatic efforts to isolate Maduro internationally. Despite intense economic pressure, Maduro retained power with the backing of Venezuela’s military and security establishment, while negotiations and sanctions failed to produce political change.
According to US officials, the decision to launch military action was taken after intelligence assessments concluded that non-military tools had exhausted their effectiveness, particularly in curbing narcotics flows and addressing what Washington described as growing regional security risks. President Donald Trump authorised what the Pentagon framed as a targeted and time-bound operation rather than a prolonged war, emphasizing speed, precision, and strategic impact.
US forces carried out coordinated strikes against key command-and-control facilities, elite security units, and defensive infrastructure in the capital Caracas, enabling special operations teams to move swiftly. Within hours, Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were taken into US custody and flown out of the country. Senior American officials described the mission as the most complex and successful joint special operations raid ever undertaken, arguing it achieved its objectives without large-scale troop deployment or sustained combat.
The US has said the action aims to halt drug trafficking, secure access to energy resources, and prevent further regional instability, while avoiding the cost of prolonged military involvement. Maduro’s capture has plunged Venezuela into political uncertainty, with Washington asserting it will shape what happens next through security control, economic leverage, and diplomatic pressure, even as critics warn the operation could have far-reaching consequences for the region.
reaction has been swift. Russia, Iran, Brazil, China, the EU, the UK and others condemned the strikes or urged restraint and respect for international law. Venezuela has requested an emergency UN Security Council meeting.
