Maduro in custody as Trump says US will 'run' Venezuela — catch up here.
US President Donald Trump’s long-running campaign against Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro came to a head on Saturday as a mission named Operation Absolute Resolve saw the Venezuelan leader captured and taken into US custody.
Here’s what you need to know about the weekend’s events so far:
- Venezuelans in Caracas were woken up by the sounds of explosions in the early hours of Saturday morning. Footage verified by CNN showed strikes on an airport, a military base and a port, among others. Data from NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) detected two heat signatures near Fort Tiuna, a major Venezuelan military installation, in the early hours of the morning.
- A few hours later, Trump announced that Maduro had been “captured and flown out of the country” alongside his wife Cilia Flores. A picture of Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima warship was later posted by Trump to social media.
- In a news conference about the US operation, Trump said the US will “run” Venezuela indefinitely, without giving any details about how this would work or how long it could last. “We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” he added.
- Trump also said during the news conference that top US officials including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth would work with a “team” to help ‘run’ Venezuela. The US is also willing to work with Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, he told reporters.
- On top of running Venezuela, the US will also take control of its oil reserves, Trump said. American companies will be recruited to invest billions of dollars to refurbish the oil industry of Venezuela, which is sitting on about a fifth of the world’s global reserves, according to the US Energy Information Administration.
- Meanwhile, Venezuela’s opposition leader María Corina Machado had earlier in the day called for opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia to become the country’s new leader. In his news conference, Trump shut down the idea of working with Machado, telling reporters he does not believe she has the support or respect needed to lead Venezuela.
- The US move to capture Maduro has been met with mixed reaction by Venezuelans. Many have expressed hope now that he is no longer in charge, but others have said they are fearful, given that Rodríguez, who is considered equally as oppressive as Maduro, is now going to be head of the country instead. Others were against the US operation entirely, calling it “an invasion of Venezuelan territory.”
- A range of responses were also seen internationally. Leaders from Argentina, Ecuador, and Israel appeared to welcome the strike, while others, such China, Russia, Brazil, Cuba and Mexico, strongly condemned the operation.
- Late last night, the White House’s official rapid response account posted video of what appeared to be Maduro participating in a perp walk. In the video, he spoke English, wishing those in the room a “good night” and a “Happy New Year.” He was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and black trousers.
