US-Venezuela Conflict: Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino, in a video statement on Saturday (IST), reportedly said that the country has been subjected to the “most criminal military aggression” by the United States. This comes hours after several large explosions were heard early Saturday in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela.
According to Reuters, the Venezuelan Defense Minister also stated that his nation will resist the presence of foreign troops.
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Venezuelan people have been subjected to the most criminal military aggression by the government of the United States, Venezuela Defence Minister pic.twitter.com/M7QnJKvWHu— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) January 3, 2026
Whereabouts of President Maduro And His Wife
Venezuela Vice President Delcy Rodríguez on Saturday stated that the whereabouts of the country’s President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are unknown following the US attacks in Caracas, Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira in the early hours of the morning, local time.
According to IANS, leading Venezuelan daily El Nacional reported that Rodríguez, in a telephone interview with Venezolana de Television, demanded proof of life for Maduro and Flores from the US government.
“Delcy Rodríguez called on the population to become active in a civic-military fusion to defend the country,” the newspaper reported.
US-Venezuela Tensions
Quoting sources consulted by Fox News, El Nacional reported that the nighttime US military operation involved a large deployment of Chinook helicopters and other special forces assets.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump claimed that the Venezuelan President and his wife had been “captured” and “flown out” of the country.
Taking to his social media platform ‘Truth Social’, Trump said, “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.”
He mentioned that this operation was conducted in conjunction with U.S. law enforcement, and further details will be provided during a news conference at 11 am (local time) at Mar-a-Lago.
The American media reported that Maduro was captured by a unit of the special and elite forces of the US Army’s Delta Force.
(with IANS inputs)