Trump Says U.S. Launched Large-Scale Attack on Venezuela and Captured Maduro

U.S. President Donald Trump said a “large-scale military operation” has been launched against Venezuela and claimed that President Nicolás Maduro has been captured, marking a dangerous new escalation in tensions between Washington and Caracas.

According to information cited by CBS News from sources familiar with the matter, Trump is alleged to have authorized military action against Venezuela. Jennifer Jacobs, CBS News’ senior White House correspondent, said on Saturday that the strikes targeted multiple locations inside the country, particularly military sites. In a message shared on social media, Jacobs stated that U.S. officials confirmed Trump had approved attacks on designated targets within Venezuelan territory.

The report noted that the decision came at a time when the U.S. administration was intensifying political pressure on the government of President Nicolás Maduro. The military order, issued amid a hardening stance toward Caracas, is said to have pushed the bilateral crisis into a new phase.

Following the reported authorization, Trump released his first public statement on the operation via his Truth Social account. He claimed that U.S. forces carried out a broad operation inside Venezuela and that President Maduro was captured along with his wife, Cilia Flores, and taken out of the country. Trump said the operation was conducted in coordination with U.S. security agencies, adding that further details would be released later. He also announced a press conference at Mar-a-Lago in Florida.

While Washington described the action as an operation against drug cartels, the Venezuelan government firmly rejected the claims. Caracas denounced the move as a direct military attack and an attempt at regime change, arguing that the true objective was control over Venezuela’s strategic resources, particularly oil and natural gas.

Venezuelan authorities said the country’s sovereignty had been violated and that international law was breached. The latest statements have significantly raised the risk of further escalation between the United States and Venezuela.