The United States bombs Venezuela and captures Nicolás Maduro

Washington / BarcelonaThe United States bombed Venezuela early this morning and captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who has been taken to an as-yet-unknown location outside the country. This was announced by Donald Trump in a post In Truth Social, he asserted that the operation was a success and that he personally ordered it. The US president will appear this Saturday afternoon to provide more details about the operation. "The United States of America has successfully carried out a large-scale attack against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolás Maduro, who has been captured along with his wife and taken out of the country. This operation was conducted in collaboration with US law enforcement," Trump said on his social media. The Venezuelan government has acknowledged that it "does not know" Maduro's whereabouts: "We demand immediate proof of life from the government of President Donald Trump," said Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez.

During the early morning hours, several explosions were reported in Caracas, mainly near military zones and airports, and the Venezuelan government quickly accused the United States. The Maduro administration denounced a "very serious military aggression" by the United States in civilian and military locations in the states of Miranda, Aragua, La Guaira, and the capital, Caracas, and ordered a police and military deployment. In a statement broadcast on state television, he also called on the population to "armed struggle" against what he labeled "imperialist aggression," and Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López stated that they were searching for possible victims of the attacks on civilian areas. At least seven explosions have been reported in the capital, according to the Associated Press, beginning after 1:50 a.m. (6:50 a.m. in Catalonia). The sound of several aircraft flying at low altitudes has also been heard and captured in videos circulating on social media. The military installations of La Carlota and Fort Tiuna have also been affected.

International reactions

The first to react was Colombian President Gustavo Petro—also in Trump's crosshairs—who denounced the "bombings" and demanded an emergency UN meeting. "Right now they are bombing Caracas. Alert the whole world: they have attacked Venezuela. They are bombing with missiles," Petro wrote in a post on X. Also speaking out early this morning was Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez, who denounced a "criminal attack" by the US against Venezuela. Other countries historically at odds with the US, such as Iran and Russia, have also condemned the attack. In contrast, from Argentina, Javier Milei celebrated the operation: "Freedom advances," he wrote on X, adding his slogan:Long live freedom, damn it!"

For its part, the European Union has limited itself to asking that "the principles of international law and the Charter of the United Nations" be respected. "We call for restraint," said the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, who assured in a message to X that she had spoken with the Secretary of State of K~. The Spanish government remains attentive to what is happening in Venezuela, in constant contact with the embassy in the country's capital—the staff are safe, according to the government. Spain is offering to mediate to try to reach "a peaceful and negotiated solution to the current crisis." Spain calls for "de-escalation and restraint" and demands that the parties act with respect for international law and the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.

The US escalation against Venezuela

In November, Trump publicly warned of a possible ground incursion into Venezuela amid the supposed war on drugs he has launched in Latin America. dubbed Operation Lanza SurWhen the Pentagon announced the operation, it offered no further details about the implications of this military incursion, although it clearly represented a further step in the siege against Caracas. There had been speculation about how this ground operation would unfold and what its implications would be, since mobilizing US units on Venezuelan territory could have a high cost in terms of popularity for the president.

One of Trump's major campaign promises was that he would withdraw the United States from international conflicts, under the premise of "America firstHowever, in recent months Washington has conducted military operations in the Caribbean and the Pacific, as well as bombings in other locations. The most recent was last week against Islamic State positions in northern NigeriaIn the case of Venezuela, the option on the table was that the Republican would opt for an air strike similar to last summer's bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities. Trump has placed the Maduro regime at the center of his war on drugs, accusing the Venezuelan leader of heading the Cartel of the Suns, something he has denied. In the fall, the US State Department designated the group as a terrorist organization and identified the Venezuelan president as its leader. Meanwhile, the US military has been carrying out extrajudicial killings of crew members on several vessels in the Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific under accusations of "narco-terrorism." More than 100 people were killed in the attacks without any evidence other than the Pentagon's word, and without any legal convictions.

In parallel, Washington has exerted pressure by sea, air and land against Maduro: it has deployed several US navy ships (including the aircraft carrier Gerald FordThe US has flown fighter jets very close to Venezuelan airspace (in one incident that led to the cancellation of commercial airline flights) and has authorized covert CIA operations within Venezuelan territory. New York Times The intelligence agency reported on Monday that it had carried out a drone attack against a port facility in Venezuela. Last week, the US president announced an attack against a "major facility" as part of his supposed campaign against drug trafficking, but no details were given as to whether the attack took place inside Venezuela.

For weeks, many international relations experts have pointed out that US pressure on Venezuela goes far beyond a supposed fight against drug trafficking. The objective would be to overthrow the Maduro government. in a move in line with the US strategy in Latin America of intervening in countries to install governments aligned with its interests

The Trump-Maduro call

Caracas attempted to find a diplomatic way to reduce tensions with Washington. On November 21, the two leaders spoke on the phone, and, as revealed by the Miami HeraldTrump offered Maduro a negotiated solution, which he rejected. It was after the Venezuelan dictator's refusal that the US president escalated his rhetoric and publicly threatened him with a ground attack. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, known for his hawkish stance against the regimes in Venezuela and Cuba, also participated in the call. The aggressiveness of the campaign against Caracas also bears his signature. Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, recent winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, has also been calling for US intervention from hiding. to overthrow the Maduro regime.

The Venezuelan president had shown himself open to negotiating an agreement with the US to combat drug trafficking. However, the crux of the matter is not drug trafficking—most of the routes currently pass through Guatemala, and the hotspot is Mexico—but Venezuelan oil. In recent weeks, Washington has seized several ships transporting crude oil from Venezuela.