What to know about the U.S. military strikes on Venezuela

President Trump said Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife were “captured and flown out of the Country” early Saturday morning, confirming a “large scale strike” had been carried out by U.S. forces, as explosions were reported in Caracas and elsewhere.

The U.S. Army’s Delta Force, an elite special forces unit, carried out the operation to capture Maduro, officials told CBS News.

The strikes follow months of U.S. military buildup in the region, with the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier and numerous other warships positioned in the Caribbean.

In recent weeks the U.S. has seized two oil tankers off Venezuela, launched deadly strikes on more than 30 boats the administration says were carrying drugs, and struck what President Trump called “the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs.”

The Trump administration has accused Maduro of drug trafficking and working with gangs designated as terrorist organizations, which Maduro denies. On Christmas Eve, Mr. Trump declined to say what his goal was, but cautioned that if Maduro “plays tough, it’ll be the last time he’ll ever be able to play tough.”

Venezuelan defense minister says military is being deployed

Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López announced a deployment of military forces across the country in a video posted to social media early Saturday, after the U.S. military conducted strikes on the country.

The defense minister called for a united front of resistance in the face of “the worst aggression” ever against Venezuela. He said all armed forces would be deployed following “Maduro’s orders” — but made no mention of Maduro’s reported capture.

“They’ve attacked us but they will not subdue us,” he said.

He called for calm and unity, and warned against anarchy and disorder, cautioning: “let’s not succumb to the panic the enemy seeks to instill.”

Maduro captured by Army’s Delta Force, sources say

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was captured early Saturday morning by members of Delta Force, the U.S. military’s top special mission unit, U.S. officials told CBS News.

The elite Army Delta Force was also responsible for the 2019 mission that killed former Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Trump says Maduro was captured and flown out of Venezuela

President Trump said in a Truth Social post early Saturday morning that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were “captured and flown out of the Country,” as he confirmed U.S. military strikes in Venezuela.

“The United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader,” Mr. Trump wrote. He said U.S. law enforcement was involved, but he didn’t specify how or which agencies.

Maduro was indicted in an American court for alleged narcoterrorism in 2020.

Mr. Trump said more details will be offered in a press conference at 11 a.m. ET at Mar-a-Lago.