The United States says it has carried out a large-scale military operation against Venezuela, resulting in the capture of President Nicolas Maduro.
U.S. President Donald Trump disclosed this in a post on his Truth Social platform on Saturday.
“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,” Trump said.
He added that the operation was conducted in conjunction with U.S. law enforcement agencies.
“This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement. Details to follow,” he said.
Trump also announced that a news conference would be held at 11 a.m. local time at Mar-a-Lago to provide further details.
Meanwhile, reports said multiple explosions were heard in Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, early on Saturday.
Trump has in recent months warned that the United States was preparing to take fresh action against what he described as drug trafficking networks operating in Venezuela.
In October, the U.S. president said he had authorised the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to operate inside Venezuela to curb the alleged illegal flow of migrants and drugs from the country.
The strikes reportedly followed months of increased U.S. military presence in the region.
According to CBS, the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier and several other U.S. warships have been deployed in the Caribbean for several days.
The United States had also recently seized two oil tankers off the Venezuelan coast and carried out strikes on more than 30 boats it alleged were involved in drug trafficking.
The Trump administration has repeatedly accused President Maduro of drug trafficking and links with criminal groups designated as terrorist organisations.
