{"id":515,"date":"2026-01-03T10:38:34","date_gmt":"2026-01-03T10:38:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/?p=515"},"modified":"2026-01-03T10:38:34","modified_gmt":"2026-01-03T10:38:34","slug":"trump-claims-maduro-arrested-after-major-us-military-operation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/?p=515","title":{"rendered":"Trump Claims Maduro Arrested After Major US Military Operation","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"

The United States conducted a \u201clarge-scale military strike\u201d against Venezuela and detained President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro<\/a><\/strong> during the operation, according to a statement published by US President Donald Trump<\/a><\/strong> on social media early Saturday.<\/p>\n

The announcement appeared on Truth Social shortly after residents in Caracas reported a sequence of powerful explosions across the capital.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement,\u201d Trump wrote, adding that both Maduro and his wife were removed from Venezuelan territory and transported abroad.<\/p>\n

The Venezuelan government has not yet released an official response to the claim.<\/p>\n

\n

Caracas Reports Multiple Explosions<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Visuals circulating on international media showed large smoke columns rising near Fort Tiuna, the country\u2019s largest military base and a strategic defense headquarters in the capital.<\/p>\n

Journalist Lucia Newman, reporting from Santiago, cited regional sources indicating that the explosions were followed by widespread power disruptions across several districts.<\/p>\n

Miranda, Aragua, and La Guaira states were also reportedly impacted by the military operation, which Venezuela earlier labeled as a \u201cmilitary aggression.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Eyewitness Accounts From the Ground<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Caracas-based journalist Sissi De Flavis described hearing sounds resembling a heavy vehicle collision, followed by a seismic-like shake across the area.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe skies started to light up. Then there was a ball of orange fire glowing. You can still hear planes flying overhead,\u201d De Flavis told media, confirming no new blasts had been heard since the initial sequence.<\/p>\n

Another resident, Carmen Hidalgo, 21, told the Associated Press that at least seven explosions were heard alongside low-altitude aircraft movement near La Carlota airport, where smoke was also visible.<\/p>\n

\"Trump<\/p>\n

\n

Gulf and Latin America Tensions Intersect<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The US\u2013Venezuela standoff has been escalating for weeks after Trump accused Maduro of directing a transnational drug-trafficking network, describing Venezuelan leadership as \u201cnarcoterrorists\u201d in previous statements.<\/p>\n

Last week, Trump also disclosed a strike on a Venezuelan docking zone allegedly linked to drug-smuggling vessels. It was reported as the first known instance of US-directed military action inside Venezuelan territory in the current campaign.<\/p>\n

\n

Resource Motives and Regional Accusations<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Venezuela has repeatedly accused Washington of attempting to secure control over its oil and mineral reserves. Officials in Caracas have said that US pressure\u2014including sanctions and military warnings\u2014has been designed to weaken Venezuelan state control.<\/p>\n

Despite the accusations, the UAE earlier issued a statement expressing concern about rising conflict dynamics in Latin America, urging restraint. The comment was interpreted by analysts as part of broader Gulf diplomatic messaging on global military escalations.<\/p>\n

\n

Maduro Signals Conditional Dialogue<\/strong><\/h4>\n

On Thursday, Maduro suggested Venezuela was open to negotiating cooperation on drug-control measures, while criticizing the US for operating through \u201cthreats, intimidation and force.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked directly to confirm or deny reports of US military action on Venezuelan soil, Maduro responded: \u201cThis could be something we talk about in a few days.\u201d<\/p>\n

His answer was seen by analysts as a strategic delay rather than a denial.<\/p>\n

\n

Analysts Warn of Wider Ripple Effects<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Hisham Al-Omeisy, conflict analyst at the European Institute of Peace, noted that sustained factional conflict\u2014whether in the Middle East or Latin America\u2014often leads to unexpected geopolitical fragmentation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a proxy war within a proxy war,\u201d he said in previous remarks on layered conflicts, warning that the fallout could influence security alignments well beyond national borders.<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The United States conducted a \u201clarge-scale military strike\u201d against Venezuela and detained President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro during the operation, according to a statement published by US President Donald Trump on social media early Saturday. The announcement appeared on Truth Social shortly after residents in Caracas reported a sequence of powerful explosions across the capital. \u201cThis operation […]<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":1,"featured_media":517,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-515","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"link","format":"url"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/515","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=515"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/515\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":518,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/515\/revisions\/518"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/517"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=515"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=515"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=515"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}