Jan 3, 2026
There will be a press conference from Trump’s Florida residence Mar-a-Lago at 5pm Brussels time
US President Donald Trump claimed responsibility for explosions over Venezuela early on Saturday, also suggesting that he has abducted Venezuela’s leader Nicolas Maduro, and his wife.
Multiple explosions, accompanied by sounds resembling aircraft flyovers, were heard around the city in the first known land strike on Venezuelan soil.
US President Donald Trump confirmed that the US was behind the attack in a social media post.
He claimed in the same post that Maduro and his wife have been captured and flown out of the country and that there would be a press conference at 11am (5pm Brussels time) from his Florida residence, Mar-a-Lago.
The explosions had prompted Maduro’s government to issue a statement railing against the US.
“Venezuela rejects, repudiates, and denounces before the international community the extremely serious military aggression perpetrated by the current government of the United States of America against Venezuelan territory and people,” Maduro’s government said.
The explosions come as US President Donald Trump, who has deployed a navy task force to the Caribbean, raised the possibility of ground strikes against Venezuela.
The Trump administration has accused Maduro of heading a drug cartel and says it is cracking down on trafficking, but the leftist leader denies any involvement in the narcotics trade, saying Washington is seeking to overthrow him because Venezuela has the largest known reserves of oil on Earth.
Washington has ramped up pressure on Caracas by informally closing Venezuela’s airspace, imposing more sanctions and ordering the seizure of tankers loaded with Venezuelan oil.
For weeks Trump has threatened ground strikes on drug cartels in the region, saying they would start “soon,” with Monday being the first apparent example.
US forces have also carried out numerous strikes on boats in both the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean since September, targeting what Washington says are drug smugglers.
The administration has provided no evidence that the targeted boats were involved in drug trafficking, however, prompting debate about the legality of these operations.
The deadly maritime campaign has killed at least 107 people in at least 30 strikes, according to information released by the US military.
(cp)
Magdalena Kensy contributed reporting.
UPDATES: This article has been updated with comments from Trump claiming responsibility for the attack, and that Maduro and his wife have been abducted.
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