preCharge News POLITICS — The president praised the military operation in Venezuela, speaking at a news conference at his estate at Mar-a-Lago.

“Late last night and early today at my direction, the United States armed forces conducted an extraordinary military operation in the capital of Venezuela,” Mr. Trump said, in opening remarks that began at about 11:40 a.m. “Overwhelming military power, air land and sea, was used to launch a spectacular assault, and it was an assault like people have not seen since World War II.”

The president said “it was a force against a heavily fortified military fortress in the heart of Caracas to bring outlaw dictator Nicolás Maduro to justice.””This was one of the most stunning, effective and powerful displays of American military might and confidence in American history,” Mr. Trump said. 

What to know about the U.S. military attack on Venezuela

• President Trump said Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife were “captured and flown out of the Country” early Saturday morning, confirming a “large scale strike” by the U.S. that drew quick condemnation and concern from across the globe.
• Mr. Trump said in a press conference that the U.S. will “run” Venezuela on a temporary basis.
• The U.S. Army’s Delta Force, an elite special forces unit, carried out the operation to capture Maduro, officials told CBS News.
• A Republican senator said Secretary of State Marco Rubio had indicated that Maduro would face criminal charges in the U.S., where he was indicted years ago, and that Rubio “anticipates no further action in Venezuela.” The Trump administration has long accused Maduro of drug trafficking and working with gangs designated as terrorist organizations, which Maduro denies.
• 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.”
• President Trump will hold a news conference at Mar-a-Lago at 11 a.m. ET on Saturday. Watch and stream live on CBSNews.com and Paramount+.

 
LIVE UPDATES:

13:40 pm

U.S. service members suffer gunshot wounds, other injuries, but no fatalities

U.S. service members involved in the Venezuela operation suffered non-life threatening gunshot wounds and other injuries, two U.S. officials told CBS News.

It is not clear how many were hurt in the operation, however.

There were no U.S. fatalities.  

All of the injured service members are in stable condition.

13:33 pm

Trump says U.S. is “in the oil business” and will sell Venezuelan oil

More than once in his press conference, Mr. Trump mentioned Venezuela’s oil. The country has the largest proven crude oil reserves in the world. 

“In terms of other countries that want oil, we’re in the oil business,” the president told reporters. “We’re going to sell it to them. We’re not going to say we’re not going to give it to them. In other words, we’ll be selling oil, probably in much larger doses, because they couldn’t produce very much because their infrastructure was so bad. So, we’ll be selling large amounts of oil to other countries — many of whom are using it now — but I would say many more will come.” 

Mr. Trump said the Venezuelan people will benefit from oil sales — but so will the U.S. It’s not clear how the U.S. control of Venezuelan oil operations and sales would work, but the president’s interest in Venezuelan oil has already been raised by some lawmakers. 

“Previous presidents told us to go to war over WMDs — weapons of mass destruction — that did not exist,” Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky said on the House floor on Dec. 17. “Now it’s the same playbook, except we’re told that drugs were the WMDs. If it were about drugs, we’d bomb Mexico, or China, or Colombia, and the president would not have pardoned Juan Orlando Hernandez. This is about oil and regime change.”

13:32 pm

Trump said he told Maduro “you got to surrender”

Mr. Trump said he had conversations with Maduro and told him “you got to surrender.” He did not specify when the conversations occurred. 

“And I actually thought he was pretty close to doing so, but now he wished he did,” the president added. 

13:30 pm

Marjorie Taylor Greene criticizes operation and says it was “what many in MAGA thought they voted to end”

GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia criticized the move to strike Venezuela and capture Maduro. She’s set to leave Congress Monday, after announcing her surprise resignation in November amid a major falling out with Trump. 

In a lengthy post on X, she said the operation contradicts Mr. Trump’s anti-intervention stance and suggested the operation had more to do with regime change than stopping drug trafficking. Greene asked why the Trump administration had not done more to target Mexican cartels and questioned Mr. Trump’s controversial pardon of former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez, who was sentenced to 45 years in prison for trafficking cocaine into the U.S. 

“Americans disgust with our own government’s never ending military aggression and support of foreign wars is justified because we are forced to pay for it and both parties, Republicans and Democrats, always keep the Washington military machine funded and going,” Greene wrote. “This is what many in MAGA thought they voted to end. Boy were we wrong.”

13:25 pm

Trump on “America First” priorities: “We want to surround ourself with good neighbors”

Mr. Trump, asked how the operation represents his “America First” platform, said, “I think it is because we want to surround ourself with good neighbors.”

“We want to surround ourself with energy, we have tremendous energy in that country,” he added. “It’s very important that we protect it. We need that for ourselves. We need that for the world, and we want to make sure we can protect it.”

13:20 pm

Rubio says “this was not the kind of mission that you can do congressional notification”

Rubio, amid some criticism from lawmakers who criticized the Trump administration for not informing Congress about the strikes beforehand, said that “this was not the kind of mission that you can do congressional notification on.”

“It was a trigger-based mission in which conditions had to be met,” Rubio said, adding, “It’s just simply not the kind of mission you can call people and say, ‘Hey we may do this at some point in the next 15 days.'”

“But it’s largely a law enforcement function,” Rubio said. “At its core, this was an arrest of two indicted fugitives of American justice, and the Department of War supported the Department of Justice in that jobs.”

Rubio acknowledged that there are “broader policy implications here, but it’s just not the kind of mission that you can pre-notify, because it endangers the mission.”

Mr. Trump added, “Congress has a tendency to leak.”

“This would not be good,” he said, adding that if the news leaked, it would have been a “maybe a very different result.”

13:15 pm

Trump says of Venezuela “we’re going to be running it with a group”

Asked by reporters about how the country would be run, Mr. Trump replied, “We’re going to be running it with a group and we’re going to make sure it’s run properly.”

“We’re going to rebuild the oil infrastructure, which will cost billions of dollars, it will be paid for by the oil companies directly,” Mr. Trump said. “And we’re going to get the oil flowing the way it should be.”

Mr. Trump said “we’re designating various people.”

“It’s largely going to be — for a period of time — the people who are standing right behind me,” Mr. Trump said, pointing to Hegseth, Rubio and Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “We’re going to be running it, we’re going to be bringing it back.”

The president, asked by reporters about U.S. troops, said “we’re not afraid of boots on the ground,” noting that “we had boots on the ground last night.”

“We’re there now, we’re ready to go again if we have to,” he added.

13:00 pm

Rubio says Maduro “had multiple opportunities to avoid this”

Secretary of State Rubio said Maduro “had multiple opportunities to avoid this, he was provided multiple very, very, very generous offers, and chose instead to act like a wild man, chose instead to play around.””Nicolas Maduro was indicted in 2020 in the United States. He is not the legitimate president of Venezuela,” Rubio said. “He is a fugitive of American justice.”

Rubio said, “Don’t play games with this president,” adding, “it’s not going to turn out well.”

12:50 pm

Hegseth says Maduro “effed around and he found out”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, speaking after the president at Mar-a-Lago, praised the U.S. operation, and said of Maduro that he “effed around and he found out.”

“Our adversaries remain on notice. America can project our will anywhere, anytime,” Hegseth said. “The coordination, the stealth, the lethality, the precision, the very long arm of American justice all on full display in the middle of the night.”

“Nicolás Maduro had his chance, just like Iran had their chance, until they didn’t and until he didn’t,” Hegseth said. “He effed around and he found out.”

12:47 pm

Trump says Maduro was “kingpin of a vast criminal network” trafficking drugs into U.S.

The president called Maduro an “illegitimate dictator” and alleged he “was the kingpin of a vast criminal network responsible for trafficking colossal amounts of deadly and illicit drugs into the United States.” 

“Maduro and his wife will soon face the full might of American justice and stand trial on American soil,” Mr. Trump said. “Right now they’re on a ship that will be heading to ultimately New York.” 

The president said, “Now, Maduro will never again be able to threaten an American citizen or anybody from Venezuela.”

“The dictator and terrorist Maduro is finally gone in Venezuela,” the president said. “People are free.”

12:45 pm

Trump says U.S. is ready to conduct second, “much larger attack if we need to do so”

The president said “we are ready to stage a second and much larger attack if we need to do so,” saying the U.S. had assumed that a second wave would be necessary, but “now it’s probably not.”

“The first attack was so successful, we probably don’t have to do a second,” Mr. Trump said. “But we’re prepared to do a second wave — a much bigger wave, actually. This was pinpoint, but we have a much bigger wave that we probably won’t have to do.”

Mr. Trump also said U.S. oil companies would go into Venezuela and “spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure and start making money for the country.”

12:42 pm

Trump on Venezuela: “We’re going to run the country”

The president said the U.S. will “run” Venezuela on a temporary basis.

“We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” Mr. Trump told reporters.

The president said “we don’t want to be involved with having somebody else get in, and we have the same situation that we had for the last long period of years.”

“So, we are going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition, and it has to be judicious,” he added. 

Mr. Trump said “we want peace, liberty and justice for the great people of Venezuela.”

The president outlined that “all Venezuelan military capacities were rendered powerless as the men and women of our military, working with U.S. law enforcement, successfully captured Maduro in the dead of night.”

The president said Venezuela was in a “ready position,” but he said “they were completely overwhelmed and very quickly incapacitated.”

“It was an incredible thing to see,” he said. 

Mr. Trump said no American service members were killed and no U.S. equipment was lost in the operation.

12:38 pm

Trump shares photo of Maduro aboard USS Iwo Jima after capture

The president shared a photo on Truth Social with the caption: “Nicolas Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima.”

Mr. Trump said earlier Saturday that Maduro and his wife were aboard the U.S. warship. He said Maduro was being taken to New York after his capture early Saturday. 

12:35 pm

Maduro expected to arrive today in New York, where he’ll be transferred to federal custody

The military plane carrying Maduro is expected to land later today at New York Stewart International Airport, two sources familiar with the matter told CBS News. The airport is located in the Hudson Valley, about 60 miles north of Manhattan.

Maduro, who is in U.S. military custody, is expected to be turned over to federal authorities when he lands, the sources said. He’s expected to be arraigned in New York Federal court in the Southern District of New York next week. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein.

12:32 pm

Opposition leader María Corina Machado: “The time for freedom has come!”

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado released a statement Saturday morning addressing the nation after Maduro’s capture.  

“Venezuelans, The time for freedom has come!” she wrote. 

She said the ousted leader “will face international justice for the atrocious crimes committed against Venezuelans and against citizens of many other nations” and declared: “The time has come for popular sovereignty and national sovereignty to prevail in our country. We are going to restore order, release the political prisoners, build an exceptional country, and bring our children back home.”

She called for Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia to be recognized as the legitimately elected president of Venezuela and to assume power over the government and military.  

Machado was spirited out of the country to accept the Nobel Peace Prize in December, and her team declined to comment on her current whereabouts.

12:29 pm

CIA source inside Maduro’s government aided U.S. operation

A CIA source inside Venezuela’s government helped the U.S. track Maduro’s location in the lead-up to his capture, preCharge News has learned. 

The role of the CIA source was first reported by The New York Times. The source was part of an extensive network of other intelligence inputs, including overhead and signals intelligence, that informed the operation, which was the result of months of meticulous planning and partnership between the CIA and the Department of Defense. 

CIA Director John Ratcliffe has previously said the agency would prioritize the recruitment of human sources. It could not be immediately determined when the source was recruited. The U.S. government has offered a $50 million reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest. 

12:20 pm

Superseding indictment against Maduro appears to mirror 2020 indictment against him

Bondi shared a superseding indictment against Maduro, members of his family and his cabinet in a post on X.

The indictment, prepared by New York U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton, accuses Maduro of conspiracy to commit narcoterrorism and to import cocaine, as well as possession of and conspiracy to possess “Machineguns and Destructive Devices.” The charges appear to be the same as those in a 2020 indictment of Maduro and several key aides. 

The indictment states: “For over 25 years, leaders of Venezuela have abused their positions of public trust and corrupted once-legitimate institutions to import tons of cocaine into the United States,” before alleging that Maduro “is at the forefront of that corruption and has partnered with his co-conspirators to use his illegally obtained authority and the institutions he corroded to transport thousands of tons of cocaine to the United States.”

In an indictment filed against the Venezuelan leader in 2020, federal prosecutors alleged that Maduro and other senior Venezuelan government officials collaborated with the Colombian guerrilla group Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, or FARC, to traffic cocaine and weapons to the United States. 

10:16 am

Miami mayor calls on Trump to reinstate TPS for Venezuelans

Newly-elected Miami Mayor Eileen Higgins urged Mr. Trump to reinstate Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelans living in the United States, saying the instability around Maduro’s capture highlights that the country is unsafe for many to return to. 

TPS allowed eligible Venezuelans already in the U.S. to live and work legally because of unsafe conditions in their home country. The designation was first granted under the Biden administration and later expanded, citing political instability, humanitarian crises and the lack of basic services in Venezuela. The Trump administration moved to end those protections in 2025. Thousands of Venezuelans could lose work authorizations and face potential deportation once the protections expire, unless TPS is reinstated or extended by the Department of Homeland Security. 

Higgins said Venezuelans in Miami have built lives there, contributed to the local economy and deserve protection amid chaos at home. 

“This is not just a matter of policy — it is a matter of basic human dignity and safety,” Higgins told CBS Miami. 

10:11 am

Congressional leaders were notified about strikes after operation began

The Trump administration informed congressional leaders about the strikes only after the Venezuela operation began, congressional sources said. The gang of eight, the House and Senate leaders and the chairs and ranking members of the intelligence committees, received the notification.

The chairman of the Senate Select Intelligence Committee, GOP Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, confirmed in an interview with Fox News that he was not told in advance of the strikes. He indicated that he views Maduro’s arrest as a law enforcement effort that would not require advance congressional notification.

“Congress isn’t notified when the FBI is going to arrest a drug trafficker or a cyber criminal here in the United States,” he said. “Nor should Congress be notified when the executive branch is executing arrests on indicted persons X,” and he pointed out that “the FBI was part of this operation, part of the arrest of Maduro and his wife, who were indicted here in the United States.“

“So, Congress doesn’t need to be notified every time the executive the branch is making an arrest, and that’s exactly what happened this morning in Venezuela, and now Maduro’s going to come to the United States, and he’s to going to face justice,” Cotton said.

Democratic Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the vice chairman of the committee, in a statement referred to Maduro as a “corrupt authoritarian who has repressed his people,” but said the Constitution “places the gravest decisions about the use of military force in the hands of Congress for a reason. Using military force to enact regime change demands the closest scrutiny, precisely because the consequences do not end with the initial strike.” 

He also expressed concern that the U.S. operation would lead authoritarian regimes to take similar action: “If the United States asserts the right to use military force to invade and capture foreign leaders it accuses of criminal conduct, what prevents China from claiming the same authority over Taiwan’s leadership? What stops Vladimir Putin from asserting similar justification to abduct Ukraine’s president?”

10:03 am

Trump says Maduro is being taken to New York

The president said on “Fox and Friends” that Maduro is being taken to New York after his capture early Saturday. He said Maduro and his wife were aboard the U..S warship Iwo Jima and headed to New York.

“They’ll be heading to New York,” Mr. Trump said. “They were indicted in New York.”

Attorney General Pam Bondi said earlier in the day that Maduro had been indicted in the Southern District of New York on narco-terrorism charges. Bondi said Maduro and his wife “will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts.”

In an indictment filed against the Venezuelan leader in 2020, federal prosecutors alleged that Maduro and other senior Venezuelan government officials collaborated with the Colombian guerrilla group Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, or FARC, to traffic cocaine and weapons to the United States. It was not immediately clear whether the nation’s top lawyer was referring only to the 2020 charges, or if there would be new or different charges filed in an indictment Saturday. 

09:56 am

Trump says Maduro was captured from “highly guarded” protection, says he thinks no U.S. forces killed in operation

Mr. Trump said Maduro was “highly guarded” when he was captured, praising the overnight operation and saying no U.S. forces were killed. 

“It was like a fortress, actually,” the president said on “Fox and Friends” Saturday morning. “You know that we had nobody killed was amazing. I think we had nobody killed, I have to say, because a couple of guys were hit, but they came back and they’re supposed to be in pretty good shape.”

The president said the U.S. was going to carry out the Venezuela operation days ago, but the weather was not ideal

“We were going to do this four days ago but the weather was not perfect,” Mr. Trump said. “And then all of a sudden it opened up and we said go.”

09:06 am

Joy, tears and chants of “freedom” by Venezuelans in South Florida

Venezuelans in South Florida poured into the streets of Doral early Saturday, celebrating the U.S. military action in Venezuela that led to the arrest of President Nicolas Maduro.

Celebrations erupted outside El Arepazo restaurant, a longtime gathering spot for the Venezuelan community, where people hugged, sang and waved flags as the sun came up.

Chants of “Libertad” echoed through the area as crowds sang both the U.S. and Venezuelan national anthems, marking a moment many said they had waited decades to see.

09:01 am

Vice President Vance praises “truly impressive operation”

 Vice President JD Vance said that Mr. Trump offered Maduro “multiple off ramps” before the operation in Venezuela. 

“Maduro is the newest person to find out that President Trump means what he says,” Vance wrote on social media. “Kudos to our brave special operators who pulled off a truly impressive operation.” 

Vance also said that he did not believe the operation was illegal. 

“Maduro has multiple indictments in the United States for narcoterrorism,” Vance wrote. Maduro was indicted by federal prosecutors in 2020. “You don’t get to avoid justice for drug trafficking in the United States because you live in a palace in Caracas.” 

08:17 am

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado’s spokesperson declines to comment

A spokesperson for Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado declined to comment to the Associated Press on the U.S. military operation that led to the arrest of President Nicolas Maduro.

Machado, who has been in hiding since the 2024 presidential elections, was last seen in public last month when she traveled to Norway to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

Machado told preCharge News in mid-December that she was “absolutely” supportive of President Trump’s strategy in the country and would welcome “more and more pressure so that Maduro understands that he has to go.”

“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.

07:42 am

Bondi says Maduro and wife will “soon face the full wrath of American justice” on U.S. soil

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a social media post on Saturday that captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife would “soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts.”

Maduro has been indicted in a U.S. federal court on at least four charges, including narco-terrorism offenses and possessing weapons “against the United States,” Bondi said. 

It was not immediately clear whether the nation’s top lawyer was referring only to charges contained in an indictment filed against the Venezuelan leader in 2020, or if there would be new or different charges filed in an indictment Saturday. 

Bondi said the Maduros were charged in the Southern District of New York, which is the same jurisdiction that handed down the 2020 indictment against the Venezuelan president. His wife, Cilia Flores, was not previously charged.

Bondi, in her post, added her thanks on behalf of the Department of Justice to President Trump, “for having the courage to demand accountability on behalf of the American People, and a huge thank you to our brave military who conducted the incredible and highly successful mission to capture these two alleged international narco traffickers.”

07:18 am

European Union calls for restraint, respect for international law

Top European Union diplomat Kaja Kallas said Saturday that she had spoken with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the EU’s ambassador in Caracas. 

She said the EU was “closely monitoring the situation” and noted that it had “repeatedly stated that Mr. Maduro lacks legitimacy.”  

“Under all circumstances, the principles of international law and the UN Charter must be respected,” Kallas wrote on social media. “We call for restraint. The safety of EU citizens in the country is our top priority.”

06:48 am

Russia and Iran condemn U.S. strikes on Venezuela

Russia and Iran were among the many nations to react quickly to the U.S. military strikes on Venezuela and President Trump announcing the capture of the Latin American nation’s leader, Nicolás Maduro.

Iran condemned the attack, calling it a “flagrant violation of the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of” Venezuela, according to the AFP news agency.

Russia’s foreign ministry accused the U.S. of “an act of armed aggression against Venezuela. This is deeply concerning and condemnable” in a statement, according to the Reuters news agency.

“The pretexts used to justify such actions are unfounded,” the statement said, adding a call for the prevention of “further escalation,” dialogue, and backing other calls for an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council.

06:06 am

Maduro’s capture comes exactly 36 years after U.S. arrested Panama’s Noriega

President Trump announced the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro early Saturday morning 36 years to the day after U.S. forces arrested another indicted Latin American leader, the late Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega.

A onetime U.S. ally and CIA informant, Noriega led Panama for much of the 1980s, but he fell out of favor with Washington toward the end of his reign due to allegations of drug trafficking. 

Former President George H.W. Bush ordered the U.S. military to invade Panama in late 1989, leading Noriega to hide out in the Vatican embassy before surrendering to U.S. authorities on Jan. 3, 1990. He was convicted in the U.S. on drug trafficking charges and spent 20 years in an American prison before being sent to France to serve a money laundering sentence, and then to Panama where he was imprisoned on murder and other charges. 

Noriega died in Panama in 2017.

05:32 am

GOP senator says Rubio told him “no further action in Venezuela” expected

Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah said early Saturday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had told him he “anticipates no further action in Venezuela now that Maduro is in U.S. custody.”

In a post on X, Lee said he spoke with Rubio on the phone. He said he was told Maduro was arrested, “to stand trial on criminal charges in the United States,” and “the kinetic action we saw tonight was deployed to protect and defend those executing the arrest warrant.”

05:19 am

Maduro was captured with a $50 million U.S. bounty out on him

The U.S. government has sought Maduro’s arrest for years. He was indicted by a U.S. court in March 2020, accused along with more than a dozen other individuals of narcoterrorism.

Last summer, the Trump administration doubled the reward for information leading to Maduro’s capture to $50 million.

Federal prosecutors alleged in 2020 that Maduro and other senior Venezuelan government officials collaborated with the Colombian guerilla group Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, or FARC, to traffic cocaine and weapons to the United States. 

At the time, the Justice Department also accused Maduro of leading a criminal ring called Cártel de Los Soles, which the Trump administration designated as a foreign terrorist organization last year. 

Some experts have questioned the administration’s characterization of Cártel de Los Soles, arguing the term refers to a loosely defined group of corrupt government officials with links to drug trafficking, not a centrally organized group.

05:14 am

Venezuelan vice president demands proof of life for Maduro

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, speaking on the country’s state-run TV, issued a demand on Saturday morning for proof of life and the location of the country’s President Nicolás Maduro.

Her remarks, in a telephone interview with the TV network, came soon after President Trump said Maduro had been captured and flown out of Venezuela.

04:58 am

Venezuelan defense minister says military is being deployed

Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López announced a deployment of military forces across the country in a video posted to social media early Saturday, after the U.S. military conducted strikes on the country.

The defense minister called for a united front of resistance in the face of “the worst aggression” ever against Venezuela. He said all armed forces would be deployed following “Maduro’s orders” — but made no mention of Maduro’s reported capture.

“They’ve attacked us but they will not subdue us,” he said. 

He called for calm and unity, and warned against anarchy and disorder, cautioning: “let’s not succumb to the panic the enemy seeks to instill.” 

The defense minister also said the government had declared a “state of external commotion,” effectively a state of emergency.

04:29 am

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 preCharge News.

The elite Army Delta Force was also responsible for the 2019 mission that killed former Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. 

04:25 am

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.

04:16 am

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.”

04:01 am

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.

03:48 am

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.

03:40 am

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.

03:38 am

Caracas military bases and major Venezuelan port hit by U.S. strikes, political opposition says

David Smolansky, a spokesman for Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, told CBS News the following locations were among those hit:

• Fuerte Tiuna — the main military base in Caracas 
• La Carlota — the main airbase in Caracas 
• El Volcán — signal antenna 
• La Guaira Port — a seaport on the Caribbean coast

03:30 am

FAA bans commercial flights over Venezuela due to “ongoing military activity”

As the U.S. carries out strikes in Venezuela, the Federal Aviation Administration prohibited U.S. commercial air carriers from operating at all altitudes over Venezuela, citing “safety-of-flight risks associated with ongoing military activity.”

The notice was issued at 2 a.m. local time in Caracas (1 a.m. Eastern) on Saturday, and was set to end at 1 a.m. Caracas time on Sunday.

The order does not apply to foreign or military aircraft.