Around 2 a.m., explosions were heard over Venezuela’s capital Caracas, sending people running into the streets. The attack on the capital itself lasted around 30 minutes.
At a Saturday press conference, Trump
said U.S. oil companies would invest billions, describing the Venezuelan oil business as a “total bust for a long period of time.”
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, would face charges after an indictment in New York. Bondi vowed in a social media post that the couple would “soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts.”
Members of the presidential guard stand outside the Miraflores presidential palace after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026.
Cristian Hernandez/AP
Maduro and other Venezuelan officials were indicted in 2020 on “narco-terrorism” conspiracy charges, but it was not previously known his wife had been and it wasn’t clear if Bondi was referring to a new indictment.
The Venezuelan government called it an “imperialist attack” and urged citizens to take to the streets. The attack came after months of rising tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela.
The dramatic operation capped an intensive pressure campaign on the South American country and
Reaction from Canada, Mexico, U.S.
Prime Minister Mark Carney released a statement on X early Saturday evening, saying that Canada “welcomes the opportunity for freedom, democracy, peace, and prosperity for the Venezuelan people.” He added that Canada has not recognized the “illegitimate regime of Maduro since it stole the 2018 election.”
“Canada has long supported a peaceful, negotiated, and Venezuelan-led transition process that respects the democratic will of the Venezuelan people,” he said.
Carney said his government in March imposed additional sanctions on Maduro’s “brutally oppressive and criminal regime,” and condemned his “breaches of international peace and security.”
The prime minister also said “Canada calls on all parties to respect international law.”
One of the first actions taken by Canada’s new government in March 2025 was to impose additional sanctions on Nicolás Maduro’s brutally oppressive and criminal regime — unequivocally condemning his grave breaches of international peace and security, gross and systematic human…
— Mark Carney (@MarkJCarney) January 3, 2026
Foreign Minister Anita Anand, who also called for “respect to international law,” said the government stands by Venezuelans and their desire to live “in a peaceful and democratic society,” in statement Saturday morning.
She said Canada is closely monitoring the situation with its international partners.
Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre congratulated the Trump administration on their operation, adding that Maduro should “live out his days in prison.”
Congratulations to President Trump on successfully arresting narco-terrorist and socialist dictator Nicolas Maduro, who should live out his days in prison.
The legitimate winner of the most recent Venezuelan elections, Edmundo González, should take office along with the…
— Pierre Poilievre (@PierrePoilievre) January 3, 2026
The political climate in Venezuela has resulted in a reduced diplomatic presence from Canada in recent years. In 2019, the Canadian government announced their diplomats could no longer secure accreditation under Maduro’s regime and their visas were set to expire.
“Therefore, we are left with no choice but to temporarily suspend our operations at the Embassy of Canada to Venezuela, effective immediately,” then-foreign affairs minister Chrystia Freeland said.
Her statement criticized the “illegitimate Maduro regime” and called for a “full return to democracy.” It said Canadians in Venezuela could instead seek consular assistance in Bogotá, Colombia, and noted official travel advisories urging against any travel to Venezuela — a travel advisory that has remained in force into the start of this year.
Global Affairs Canada has updated its travel advisory for Venezuela, saying the situation after the U.S. strikes “is tense and could escalate quickly.” It advises people to avoid all travel to the country.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, along with the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “strongly condemned” the U.S. military operation in Venezuela, according to an online statement.
Sheinbaum and the government highlighted that the strike was a “clear violation” of Article 2 of the United Nations (UN) Charter, and urged the UN to work toward an immediate de-escalation.
El Artículo 2, párrafo 4 de la Carta de las Naciones Unidas dice textualmente:
“Los Miembros de la Organización, en sus relaciones internacionales, se abstendrán de recurrir a la amenaza o al uso de la fuerza contra la integridad territorial o la independencia política de…
— Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo (@Claudiashein) January 3, 2026
Zohran Mamdani, the new mayor of New York City, posted on X that he’d been briefed Saturday about the “planned imprisonment in federal custody” of Maduro and his wife in NYC.
Mamdani called the U.S. attack on Venezuela “an act of war,” adding it’s a “violation of federal and international law.”
“This blatant pursuit of regime change doesn’t just affect those abroad, it directly impacts New Yorkers, including tens of thousands of Venezuelans who call this city home,” he said.
I was briefed this morning on the U.S. military capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, as well as their planned imprisonment in federal custody here in New York City.
Unilaterally attacking a sovereign nation is an act of war and a violation of federal and…
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) January 3, 2026
Latin American neighbours
Colombia’s president Gustavo Petro said forces would be present at the border to provide support in the case of a refugee influx.
Schneyder Mendoza AFP via Getty Images
In a series of social media posts, the president of Colombia, which shares a border with Venezuela, has condemned the U.S. bombing of Caracas.
The country will deploy public forces at the border, Petro said, for available support in the event of a refugee influx.
In a separate post, Petro said, “The Republic of Colombia reiterates its conviction that peace, respect for international law, and the protection of life and human dignity must prevail over any form of armed confrontation.”
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez said on X: “Cuba denounces and urgently demands the reaction of the international community against the criminal attack by the U.S. on Venezuela.”
Ecuador’s president, Daniel Noboa, on the other hand, seemingly expressed his support for the outcome of the operation.
“To María Corina Machado, Edmundo González (Venezuelan opposition leaders) and the Venezuelan people: it’s time to reclaim your country. You have an ally in Ecuador,” Noboa wrote in a post on X.
In Chile, outgoing President Gabriel Boric Font expressed “concern and condemnation” for the American strikes in Venezuela.
Como Gobierno de Chile expresamos nuestra preocupación y condena por las acciones militares de Estados Unidos que se desarrollan en Venezuela y hacemos un llamado a buscar una salida pacífica a la grave crisis que afecta al país.
Chile reafirma su adhesión a principios básicos…
— Gabriel Boric Font (@GabrielBoric) January 3, 2026
“The Venezuelan crisis must be resolved through dialogue and the support of multilateralism, not through violence or foreign interference,” Boric Font said.
In a post to X, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva also condemned the attack, stating the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and U.S. strikes “cross an unacceptable line.”
“These acts represent a most serious affront to Venezuela’s sovereignty and yet another extremely dangerous precedent for the entire international community.”
Os bombardeios em território venezuelano e a captura do seu presidente ultrapassam uma linha inaceitável. Esses atos representam uma afronta gravíssima à soberania da Venezuela e mais um precedente extremamente perigoso para toda a comunidade internacional.
Atacar países, em…
— Lula (@LulaOficial) January 3, 2026
Reaction from Europe
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said that European Union is monitoring the situation closely and they “stand by the people of Venezuela,” in a peaceful and democratic transition.
The head of the EU’s executive body called for a respect for “international law and the UN Charter.”
Following very closely the situation in Venezuela. We stand by the people of Venezuela and support a peaceful and democratic transition. Any solution must respect international law and the UN Charter.
With HRVP @kajakallas and in coordination with EU Member States, we are…
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) January 3, 2026
The European Union’s top diplomat of foreign policy Kaja Kallas called for restraint and respect for international law following the U.S. strikes.
President Nicolas Maduro tosses a carrot next to his wife Cilia Flores during a rally marking the anniversary of the Battle of Santa Ines, which took place during Venezuela’s 19th-century Federal War, in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
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“Under all circumstances, the principles of international law and the UN Charter must be respected,” she said in a post on X.
Kallas said the European Union has repeatedly said Venezuelan President Maduro “lacks legitimacy” and has defended a “peaceful transition of power.”
Pedestrians run after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026.
Matias Delacroix/AP
Spanish President Pedro Sánchez and the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs echoed the EU, calling for “de-escalation” and a respect for international law in a statement.
French President Emmanuel Macron said the Venezuelan people “are today rid of Nicolás Maduro’s dictatorship and can only rejoice.”
He called for a transition that respects the will of the Venezuelan people.
The Venezuelan people are today rid of Nicolás Maduro’s dictatorship and can only rejoice.
By seizing power and trampling on fundamental freedoms, Nicolás Maduro gravely undermined the dignity of his own people.
The upcoming transition…
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) January 3, 2026
In the United Kingdom, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Keir Starmer said the U.K. was not “involved in any way” in the U.S. operation, and that he was seeking more information before making a comment.
“It’s obviously a fast-moving situation and we need to establish all the facts,” he said talking to U.K. broadcaster SKY News.
Iran, China, and Russia react
“It must be explicitly and immediately condemned by the UN and by all states that are committed to the rule of law, as well as to international peace and security,” they wrote.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs for The People’s Republic of China said in a statement they “firmly oppose” the U.S strikes on Venezuela, calling on the American government to “abide by international law.”
Meanwhile, Russia’s foreign ministry called the US attack “deeply concerning” and “deserving of condemnation.”
“We reaffirm our solidarity with the Venezuelan people and our support for the policy pursued by the Bolivarian leadership to safeguard the country’s national interests and sovereignty,” the ministry wrote in an online statement.
With files from the Associated Press