'Large scale strike' carried out against Venezuela; Maduro captured

‘Large scale strike’ carried out against Venezuela; Maduro captured

January 3, 2026/Newspaper Staff/

By Sarah Roderick-Fitch
The Center Square

The U.S. carried out a “large scale strike against Venezuela” in the overnight hours Saturday, capturing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, along with his wife, according to a social media post from President Donald Trump.

The president said Maduro and his wife have been flown out of the country, but didn’t indicate where they have been taken. He added that the operation was “done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said in the past that “Maduro is NOT the President of Venezuela and his regime is NOT the legitimate government.”

In a social media post on X from July, Rubio called Maduro the head of the “Cartel de Los Soles, a narco-terror organization” that took “possession of the country. And he is under indictment for pushing drugs into the United States.”

Trump said a news conference will be held later Saturday morning.

This is a developing story.

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