The American president donald trump He assured that his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolás Maduro was captured in the last hours after a “large-scale attack” against Venezuela.
“The United States has successfully carried out a large-scale attack against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolás Maduro, who was captured and taken out of the country,” Trump wrote on the Truth Social network.
According to the Republican, Maduro was captured along with his wife, Cilia Flores, in an operation carried out “jointly with US forces.”
Trump assured that he would give details later and announced a press conference for 11:00 in the morning, Eastern Time in the United States, at his residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida.
The statement by the US president took place after several explosions occurred in the early hours of this Saturday in Caracas and other places in Venezuelaaccording to media reports and publications on social networks.
After these events, the Venezuelan Government denounced that what happened was a “military aggression perpetrated by the current Government of the United States.”
Consequently, the Chavista leader had declared a “state of external commotion,” in order to “protect the rights of the population, the full functioning of the republican institutions and immediately move on to armed struggle,” according to an agency office EFE.
The explosions in Venezuela occurred at a time when Trump has threatened with ground attacks on Venezuelan territory under the assumption of a campaign against drug trafficking organizations, to which he links the Maduro Government.
In particular, detonations were reported at Fuerte Tiuna, the country’s main military installation, west of the capital, and also at the La Carlota military base.
Likewise, explosions are mentioned in other parts of Caracas, as well as in other areas of the country such as La Guaira, Higuerote, in the state of Miranda, and Maracay, capital of the state of Aragua, according to EFE.
Images and videos of the explosions circulate on social networks, as well as power outages that would be a consequence of them. Several sources, cited by the international press, speak of bombings, shootings and airplane overflights.
Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda Air Base home to the Army Aviation also seems to have got hit in Caracas.pic.twitter.com/3D09lCzwGs
— SA Defense (@SA_Defensa) January 3, 2026
Reactions of Petro and Díaz-Canel
The explosions in Venezuela have generated a wave of reactions and concern internationally.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro was forceful from the beginning by denouncing the bombings of Venezuela on the networks and ask that international organizations such as the UN and the OAS meet immediately in the face of these events.
In several other publications, Petro shared both a statement from his Government and that of his Venezuelan counterpart. The first states that his country “observes with deep concern the reports of explosions and unusual aerial activity recorded” in Venezuela, and advocated for “peace, respect for international law and the protection of life and human dignity.”
The Government of the Republic of Colombia observes with deep concern the reports of explosions and unusual aerial activity registered in recent hours in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, as well as the consequent escalation of tension in the region.
Colombia…
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) January 3, 2026
For his part, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel classified what happened as a “criminal attack” by the United States and demanded an “urgent reaction from the international community.”
“Our Zone of Peace is being brutally assaulted. State terrorism against the brave Venezuelan people and against Our America,” he noted.
#Cuba denounce and demand URGENT reaction of the international community against criminal attack by the US on #Venezuela. Our #PeaceZone is being brutally assaulted. State terrorism against the brave Venezuelan people and against Our America.
Homeland or Death We will win!
— Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (@DiazCanelB) January 3, 2026
On the same rope, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez condemned “strongly” the US aggression and asserted that the war actions against Venezuela “are cowardly acts against a nation that has not attacked the US or any other country.”
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