...
By Brendan Cole
Senior Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
At least five sites targeted by U.S. strikes in Venezuela have been named by open source outlets following an operation in which President Donald Trump said the U.S. had captured the country's leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife.
The U.S. president said on Truth Social that Venezuela's first couple had been flown out of the country after strikes conducted in conjunction with U.S. law enforcement.
Trump did not give any further details but Caracas said the strikes targeted civilian and military sites in Caracas and the states of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira.
Read More on News
Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment.
...
Why It Matters
Trump repeatedly warned that he could soon order attacks on Venezuela to target alleged drug traffickers. His announcement that Maduro had been captured highlight an escalation after months of military build-up in the Caribbean, and will raise fears about what regime change will mean for security in the region.
What To Know
Trump said on social media that Maduro and his wife had been captured and taken out of the country following "large scale strikes", but without specifying further. A news conference will take place at 11 a.m.
There were reports of explosions and low-flying aircraft in Caracas early Saturday morning. At least seven explosions and low-flying aircraft were reported in Caracas during the operation which last less than 30 minutes, the Associated Press reported, with no immediate reports of casualties.
David Smolansky, a spokesman for Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, told CBS News among the locations hit were Fuerte Tiuna (which is the main military base in Caracas), La Carlota (the main airbase in the capital), El Volcán, a signal antenna, and La Guaira Port on the Caribbean coast. The open-source outlet OSINT Defender posted on X that Higuerote Airport/Airbase, in the State of Miranda, had also been targeted.
A map posted by the outlet South American and Global Defense News shows the spread of potential naval, air army and air defense targets right across the 352,000 square-mile country. These range from Orchilla Island in the Caribbean to as far south as the General Jose Antonia Paez Air Base.
Other sites include the Rafael Urdaneta Air Base in the west of the country, the Luis Del Valle Air Base on the Caribbean coast and air defense targets in the east, Fort Yocoima and Fort Torbay.
A map by Newsweek map also shows 21 main military sites across the country that could become targets.
Mark Cancian, a senior adviser with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Newsweek in December that the three potential targets for any move by Trump against Venezuela could involve cartels, the Venezuelan military and the Maduro regime, with some overlap.
Trump gave the U.S. military the order to conduct land strikes in Venezuela days before according to two U.S. officials who spoke to CBS News under condition of anonymity. The mission was under consideration on Christmas Day, but American airstrikes in Nigeria against ISIS targets were prioritized.
While there were strike windows in the days after Christmas, the operation was delayed due to weather conditions, CBS reported.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump on Truth Social: "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.
He added: "This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement. Details to follow. There will be a News Conference today at 11 A.M., at Mar-a-Lago. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP."
Carmen Hidalgo, a 21-year-old office worker, said per the AP: "The whole ground shook. This is horrible. We heard explosions and planes."
Venezuela's government in a statement: "The Bolivarian Government calls on all social and political forces in the country to activate mobilization plans and repudiate this imperialist attack."
What Happens Next
Amid anticipation of a White House announcement, Venezuela's government has declared a national state of emergency and called on its supporters to take to the streets and said it would activate mobilization plans.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines