Updated on: January 3, 2026 / 4:39 AM EST
What to know about the U.S. military strikes on Venezuela
- President Trump ordered strikes on sites inside Venezuela, including military facilities, U.S. officials told CBS News, as the administration early Saturday ratcheted up its campaign against the regime of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
- Mr. Trump later said Maduro and his wife had been "captured and flown out of the Country" during the "large scale strike" by the U.S.
- The strikes follow months of U.S. military buildup in the region, with the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier and numerous other warships positioned in the Caribbean.
- In recent weeks the U.S. has seized two oil tankers off Venezuela, launched deadly strikes on more than 30 boats the administration says were carrying drugs, and struck what President Trump called "the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs."
- The Trump administration has accused Maduro of drug trafficking and working with gangs designated as terrorist organizations, which Maduro denies. On Christmas Eve, Mr. Trump declined to say what his goal was, but cautioned that if Maduro "plays tough, it'll be the last time he'll ever be able to play tough."
5m ago
Maduro captured by Army's Delta Force, sources say
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was captured early Saturday morning by members of Delta Force, the U.S. military's top special mission unit, U.S. officials told CBS News.
The elite Army Delta Force was also responsible for the 2019 mission that killed former Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
By Jennifer Jacobs
13m ago
Trump says Maduro was captured and flown out of Venezuela
President Trump said in a Truth Social post early Saturday morning that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were "captured and flown out of the Country," as he confirmed U.S. military strikes in Venezuela.
"The United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader," Mr. Trump wrote. He said U.S. law enforcement was involved, but he didn't specify how or which agencies.
Maduro was indicted in an American court for alleged narcoterrorism in 2020.
Mr. Trump said more details will be offered in a press conference at 11 a.m. ET at Mar-a-Lago.
By Joe Walsh
22m ago
State Department tells Americans in Venezuela to shelter in place
The State Department warned U.S. citizens in Venezuela to shelter in place early Saturday morning.
In a notice posted on its website, the department said the U.S. Embassy in Bogota, Colombia, was "aware of reports of explosions in and around Caracas, Venezuela."
The U.S. has warned its citizens against traveling to Venezuela for months, citing the risk of "wrongful detention, torture in detention, terrorism, kidnapping, arbitrary enforcement of local laws, crime, civil unrest, and poor health infrastructure."
By Jennifer Jacobs, Joe Walsh
37m ago
Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego: "This war is illegal"
Shortly after the U.S. launched strikes in Venezuela, Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona wrote on X: "This war is illegal."
The senator, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who was deployed in Iraq, called it the "Second unjustified war in my life time."
Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah also expressed skepticism, saying in a post on X: "I look forward to learning what, if anything, might constitutionally justify this action in the absence of a declaration of war or authorization for the use of military force."
In recent months, congressional Democrats and some Republicans have pushed back against the Trump administration's military buildup in the region, forcing votes in the House and Senate on measures that would have barred the U.S. from striking Venezuela without congressional approval.
Those measures have been voted down.
By Joe Walsh
49m ago
Venezuelan government declares state of emergency, tells people to take to the streets
Venezuela's government called on its supporters to take to the streets in the wake of the U.S. military strikes early Saturday.
"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 said President Nicolás Maduro had "ordered all national defense plans to be implemented" and declared "a state of external disturbance." That state of emergency gives him the power to suspend people's rights and expand the role of the armed forces.
By The Associated Press
Updated 56m ago
Venezuelan opposition leader has backed Trump's strategy
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado told CBS News in mid-December she was "absolutely" supportive of President Trump's strategy in the country.
"We, the Venezuelan people, are very grateful to him and to his administration, because I believe he is a champion of freedom in this hemisphere," Machado said on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan."
At the time, the president's strategy was limited to attacks on suspected drug boats, the seizure of an oil tanker and economic and diplomatic pressure, but not land strikes.
Asked if she'd welcome U.S. military action in Venezuela, Machado did not rule it out, saying: "I will welcome more and more pressure so that Maduro understands that he has to go."
A former lawmaker who was disqualified from running in Venezuela's 2024 presidential election, Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize this year, and collected the prize in Norway after a risky waterborne exit from Venezuela. She dedicated the prize to Mr. Trump.
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