Washington DC [US], Jan 03: President of the United States Donald Trump on Saturday confirmed that the US had carried out a large strike against Venezuela during which the incumbent President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were captured and taken out of the country.

“The United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country. This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement. Details to follow. There will be a News Conference today at 11 A.M., at Mar-a-Lago. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP,” the US President posted on Truth Social

The capture of Maduro, as confirmed by Trump, comes amid sharply heightened tensions between the United States and Venezuela. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly accused the Venezuelan President of presiding over what he has described as a “narco-terrorist” government.

The US had also imposed sanctions on vessels it claims are involved in transporting Venezuelan oil. At the same time, the US military stepped up actions against Venezuelan boats in the region, alleging their involvement in drug and narcotics smuggling. Trump has called on Maduro to step down, accusing Venezuela of doing “terrible things” against the United States.

Meanwhile, the Venezuelan government on Saturday issued a statement rejecting and condemning what it described as a “military aggression” by the United States against Venezuelan territory, accusing Washington of violating the United Nations Charter and threatening regional peace and stability.

In the official statement, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela alleged that the United States carried out attacks on civilian and military locations in Caracas and the states of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira, calling the action a flagrant breach of international law, including Articles 1 and 2 of the UN Charter, which uphold state sovereignty and prohibit the use of force.

The Venezuelan government said the alleged aggression was aimed at seizing the country’s strategic resources, particularly oil and minerals, and undermining Venezuela’s political independence. It rejected what it described as attempts to impose “regime change”, stressing that Venezuela had defended its sovereignty for more than two centuries.

Referring to historical precedents, the statement said the Venezuelan people would once again defend their independence, invoking the legacy of Simon Bolivar and other national leaders. Calling for mobilisation, the Venezuelan government urged all social and political forces to repudiate what it termed an “imperialist attack”.

It said the Bolivarian National Armed Forces were deployed nationwide to guarantee sovereignty and peace, while diplomatic channels would be activated to raise complaints before the UN Security Council, the UN Secretary-General, CELAC and the Non-Aligned Movement. The statement said President Nicolas Maduro had ordered the implementation of national defence plans in line with the Constitution and relevant national security laws, and had signed a decree declaring a State of External Commotion across Venezuela.

It added that comprehensive national defence command structures had been deployed across states and municipalities. Invoking Article 51 of the UN Charter, the Venezuelan government said it reserves the right to exercise legitimate self-defence to protect its people, territory and independence, and called on governments and peoples worldwide to express solidarity.

The statement was issued amid reports of loud explosions across Venezuela’s capital Caracas early Saturday, which triggered power outages in several neighbourhoods, CNN reported.

Reacting to the developments, Colombian President Gustavo Petro called for the United Nations Security Council to be convened to discuss US action against Venezuela. “Colombia is a member of the United Nations Security Council which must be convened immediately. Establish the international legality of the aggression against Venezuela,” he posted on X.

Caracas(Venezuela), Jan 3: At least seven explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard around 2 am local time Saturday in the capital, Caracas. Venezuela’s government accused the United States of attacking civilian and military installations in multiple states.

Pentagon referred requests for comment to the White House, which didn’t immediately return an email seeking comment. Meanwhile, the Federal Aviation Authority has banned US commercial flights in Venezuela airspace over “ongoing military activity” ahead of explosions in Caracas.

Smoke could be seen rising from the hangar of a military base in Caracas. Another military installation in the capital was without power.

People in various neighbourhoods rushed to the streets. Some could be seen in the distance from various areas of Caracas.

“The whole ground shook. This is horrible. We heard explosions and planes,” said Carmen Hidalgo, a 21-year-old office worker, her voice trembling. She was walking briskly with two relatives, returning from a birthday party. “We felt like the air was hitting us.”

Venezuela’s government, in the statement, called on its supporters to take to the streets.

“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 defence plans to be implemented” and declared “a state of external disturbance.”

This comes as the US military has been targeting, in recent days, alleged drug-smuggling boats. On Friday, Venezuela said it was open to negotiating an agreement with the US to combat drug trafficking.

Maduro also said in a pretaped interview aired Thursday that the US wants to force a government change in Venezuela and gain access to its vast oil reserves through the monthslong pressure campaign that began with a massive military deployment to the Caribbean Sea in August.

Maduro has been charged with narco-terrorism in the US. The CIA was behind a drone strike last week at a docking area believed to have been used by Venezuelan drug cartels in what was the first known direct operation on Venezuelan soil since the US began strikes on boats in September.

US President Donald Trump for months had threatened that he could soon order strikes on targets on Venezuelan land. The US has also seized sanctioned oil tankers off the coast of Venezuela, and Trump ordered a blockade of others in a move that seemed designed to put a tighter chokehold 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, the number of known boat strikes is 35 and the number of people killed is at least 115, according to numbers announced by the Trump administration.

They followed a major buildup of American forces in the waters off South America, including the arrival in November of the nation’s most advanced aircraft carrier, which added thousands more troops to what was already the largest military presence in the region in generations.

Trump has justified the boat strikes as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the US and asserted that the US is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels.

Meanwhile, Iranian state television reported on the explosions in Caracas on Saturday, showing images of the Venezuelan capital. Iran has been close to Venezuela for years, in part due to their shared enmity of the US.(AP)