Trump confirms US strikes on Venezuela, says Maduro captured, flown out

Author: Published: January 3, 2026

Trump announced the success of 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.”

A column of smoke rises during multiple explosions in the early hours of the morning, in Caracas, Venezuela, January 3, 2026 in this screen grab obtained from video obtained by Reuters.
A column of smoke rises during multiple explosions in the early hours of the morning, in Caracas, Venezuela, January 3, 2026 in this screen grab obtained from video obtained by Reuters.
(photo credit: Video Obtained by REUTERS )
ByREUTERS, JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Updated: 
Venezuela declared a national emergency on Saturday after the US carried out strikes across the country, with explosions heard in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, and the southern part of the city losing power.

In a post on Truth Social, US President Donald Trump stated that the US had “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.”

In a government statement, Venezuela rejected “military aggression” by the United States government and said the attacks took place in Caracas and Miranda, Aragua, and La Guaira States.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro confirmed reports of explosions and military operations taking place in Venezuela and called for emergency Organization of American States (OAS) and UN meetings on Saturday morning.

Picture of fire at Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela's largest military complex, after a series of explosions in Caracas on January 3, 2026. Loud explosions, accompanied by sounds resembling aircraft flyovers, were heard in Caracas around 2:00 am (credit: Luis JAIMES / AFP via Getty Images)
Picture of fire at Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela’s largest military complex, after a series of explosions in Caracas on January 3, 2026. Loud explosions, accompanied by sounds resembling aircraft flyovers, were heard in Caracas around 2:00 am (credit: Luis JAIMES / AFP via Getty Images)

The US embassy in Venezuela advised against travel to the country and urged people to shelter in place. 

International leaders respond to attack

Petro said in a post on X, “right now they are bombing Caracas. Alert to the whole world, they have attacked Venezuela. They are bombing with missiles. The OAS and the UN must meet immediately.”

Cuba’s President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez denounced “the criminal attack by the US on Venezuela” in a social media post on X, calling it “state terrorism against the brave Venezuelan people.”

Iran, an ally of Venezuela, condemned the attack as “a blatant violation of [Venezuela’s] national sovereignty and territorial integrity.” The Iranian foreign ministry called on the UN Security Council to “act immediately to halt the unlawful aggression” and hold those responsible accountable.

Venezuelan newspaper El Nacional reported that several helicopters were spotted over Caracas amid the explosions.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly promised land operations in Venezuela, amid efforts to pressure President Nicolas Maduro to leave office, including expanded sanctions, a ramped-up US military presence in the region, and more than two dozen strikes on vessels allegedly involved in trafficking drugs in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea.

Petro had noted on Friday that a missile strike hit the region of Alta Guiara, El Nacional reported. Trump commented on the strike, which allegedly targeted a port link with drug smuggling operations, saying “Maduro’s days were numbered.”

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

However, a CBS reporter on X said that Trump administration officials are aware of the reports of explosions and aircraft over Caracas.

The US FAA has issued a NOTAM prohibiting US aircraft from operating within Venezuelan airspace today.

This is a developing story.

‘We are locked and loaded’: Trump threatens to attack Iran regime if protesters harmed

Author: Published: January 2, 2026

‘The United States of America will come to their rescue,’ President Donald Trump announced about the protestors on Truth Social.

An Iranian woman shops at a vendor on a sidewalk near the traditional Tajrish Bazaar in northern Tehran, Iran, on December 31, 2025.
An Iranian woman shops at a vendor on a sidewalk near the traditional Tajrish Bazaar in northern Tehran, Iran, on December 31, 2025.
(photo credit: Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Updated: 
US President Donald Trump declared that the United States was “locked and loaded and ready to go” if Iran killed any more protestors, in a post on Truth Social early Friday morning.

Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi also continued to encourage the Iranian people on day six of the protests in a post on Twitter/X.

“You are making history; a history written with the courage, solidarity, and determination of a nation to reclaim its country,” Pahlavi said in his post. “Stay united. Stay focused on the goal. Victory is ours.”

Thursday saw confirmation of several deaths occurring during the protests, including two people killed in the Lordegan after authorities opened fire on the crowds demonstrating.

The Hengaw human rights group also reported that authorities killed protester Dariush Ansari Bakhtiariwand with live fire during a protest in Isfahan province on Wednesday night.

Protestors taken by Iranian authorities

An unknown number of people were also taken by authorities, reports indicate, including at least seven people detained after they rallied in Kermanshah.

Since the Israel-Iran war in June, Iran has been accused of silencing dissent by carrying out executions against those it accuses of foreign collusion, manufacturing evidence, and using torture to collect confessions from victims.

Watch: Iran protesters torch Qassem Soleimani statue

Author: Published: January 2, 2026

Protesters in Iran burn a Qassem Soleimani statue, one day before the anniversary of his death, as nationwide unrest escalates.

Elad Benari

Published: 

Protesters in Iran on Thursday set fire to a statue of former Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, footage obtained by Iran International shows.

The website reported that the incident took place in the city of Lali in Khuzestan, located in southwestern Iran.

It comes on the eve of the anniversary of the elimination of Soleimani in a US drone attack in Iraq, on January 3, 2020.

Earlier on Thursday, Iranian media reported that the ongoing clashes and riots in Iran, which started as part of a broader wave of protests in the country, have claimed the lives of five individuals in the past 24 hours.

According to the reports, the five protesters were killed in confrontations with the police in Lorestan province in the western part of the country.

Iran’s President, Masoud Pezeshkian, addressed the protests, stating that the government should guide the nation to provide assistance to all citizens, emphasizing that “the livelihood of the people is a red line.” He added, “There is no problem that cannot be solved.”

On Wednesday evening, demonstrators in Iran set the IRGC headquarters in Hamedan on fire.

The Mehr news agency reported that a Basij fighter from the Revolutionary Guards was killed and 13 Basij fighters and police officers were injured in clashes in Hamedan.

On Tuesday, US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz expressed support for the protests against the Iranian regime.

“The people of Iran want freedom. They have suffered at the hands of the Ayatollahs for too long,” Waltz wrote on social media.

“We stand with Iranians in the streets of Tehran and across the country as they protest a radical regime that has brought them nothing but economic downturn and war,” he added.

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