Venezuela's Maduro and wife 'bombed' inside military base home in Caracas

Donald Trump has confirmed that Venezuela’s president Nicolas Maduro and his wife have been captured and flown out of the country by the US military. In a statement on TruthSocial, the US president said that the US carried out a ‘large scale strike’ against the South American country in the early hours of this morning. He said: ‘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.’ Trump added that there will be a news conference later today at Mar-a-Lago. Live Feed Sort: Newest first Oldest first January 3, 2026 10:07 am Mapped out: Sites struck by US military Gergana Krasteva Metro has mapped out the alleged locations of the US strikes on Venezuela Colombia’s president has listed a number of sites he claims were hit in the US attacks on Venezuela.In a post on X, Gustavo Petro said:La Carlota air base was disabled and bombed.Cuartel de la Montaña in Catia was disabled and bombed.Federal Legislative Palace in Caracas was bombed.Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela’s main military complex, was bombed.An airport in El Hatillo was attacked.F-16 Base No. 3 in Barquisimeto was bombed.A private airport in Charallave, near Caracas, was bombed and disabled.A defence plan was activated at Miraflores, the presidential palace in Caracas.Large parts of Caracas, including Santa Mónica, Fuerte Tiuna, Los Teques, 23 de Enero and the southern areas of the capital, were left without electricity.Attacks were reported in central Caracas.A military helicopter base in Higuerote was disabled and bombed.These have not been independently verified and there has been no response by the Venezuelan government. January 3, 2026 9:54 am First direct US intervention in Latin America since 1989 Gergana Krasteva This is America’s first direct intervention in Latin America since the invasion of Panama in 1989 to depose military leader Manuel Noriega.There has been immediate confirmation from the Venezuelan government about the capture of Maduro and his wife by the US military in the early hours of this morning.The US has accused the president of running a ‘narco-state’ and also rigging an election. The Venezuelan leader, who succeeded Hugo Chavez to take power in 2013, has said the US wants to take control of its oil reserves, the largest in the world. January 3, 2026 9:39 am Venezuelan president Maduro and wife ‘captured and flown out’ Gergana Krasteva President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores attend a year-end salutation to military forces in La Guaira, Venezuela, on December 28, 2025 (Picture: Reuters) Donald Trump has confirmed that Venezuela’s president Nicolas Maduro and his wife have been captured and flown out of the country by the US military.In a statement on TruthSocial, the US president said that the US carried out a ‘large scale strike’ against the South American country in the early hours of this morning.He said: ‘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.’ Trump’s statement in full January 3, 2026 9:07 am Call for mobilisation against US ‘imperialist attack’ Gergana Krasteva Night view of Caracas taken after a series of explosions (Picture: AFP) We have heard from Venezuela’s president, Nicolas Maduro, who has called people to mobilise against ‘this imperialist attack’.A statement released earlier this morning accused the US of trying to ‘seize Venezuela’s strategic resources, particularly its oil and minerals, attempting to forcibly break the nation’s political independence’.It said it ‘rejects, repudiates, and denounces’ the ‘military aggression,’ adding: ‘Such aggression threatens international peace and stability, specifically in Latin America and the Caribbean, and seriously endangers the lives of millions of people.’The statement adds that Maduro has declared a state of emergency ‘to protect the rights of the population, the full functioning of republican institutions, and to immediately transition to armed struggle’. January 3, 2026 8:55 am US behind strikes, American official confirms Gergana Krasteva The US is carrying out airstrikes on Venezuela, an American official has told Reuters.The ‍official, who was speaking ‌on ⁠the ‌condition ‍of anonymity, did not provide ​further details.Both the White House and Pentagon are yet to comment on the reports. January 3, 2026 8:53 am Watch: Helicopters fly over Caracas amid ongoing strikes Gergana Krasteva {"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"US attacks Venezuelan capital with missiles and bombs","duration":"T2M36S","thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2026\/01\/03\/08\/105197011-0-image-a-1_1767429859070.jpg","uploadDate":"2026-01-03T08:39:33+0000","description":"Venezuela said it rejected 'military aggression' by the United States after multiple explosions rocked capital Caracas and other areas early on Saturday.\n\nAttacks took place in the capital of Caracas and the states of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira, the statement said, prompting President Maduro to declare a national emergency.","contentUrl":"https:\/\/videos.metro.co.uk\/video\/met\/2026\/01\/03\/6203043383618390680\/480x270_MP4_6203043383618390680.mp4","height":480,"width":270} To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Up Next Previous Page Next Page window.addEventListener('metroVideo:relatedVideosCarouselLoaded', function(data) { if (typeof(data.detail) === 'undefined' || typeof(data.detail.carousel) === 'undefined' || typeof(data.detail.carousel.el_) === 'undefined') { return; } var player = data.detail.carousel.el_; var container = player.closest('.metro-video-player'); var placeholder = container.querySelector('.metro-video-player__up-next-placeholder'); if (placeholder) { container.removeChild(placeholder); container.classList.add('metro-video-player--related-videos-loaded'); } }); January 3, 2026 8:50 am Everything we know so far Gergana Krasteva Venezuela’s government accused the US of attacking both civilian and military installations in multiple states. At least seven explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard around 2am local time in the capital, Caracas.The Pentagon and White House have not yet respond to requests for comment.Smoke could be seen rising from the hangar of a military base in the capital, and another military installation was without power. January 3, 2026 8:32 am Venezuela rocked by explosions Gergana Krasteva Welcome to Metro’s live coverage of the US attacks on Venezuela.Stay with us throughout the day for all the latest news, updates and analyses of the situation.