Death and destruction rocked Venezuela on Saturday as US forces invaded the country, leaving at least 80 people dead, including civilians and security personnel, according to The New York Times.
Officials warn the toll could rise as chaos spreads across the capital, Caracas, which was rocked by massive explosions.
Hours after the strikes, US President Donald Trump announced on social media that Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife had been captured.
“We don’t want to be involved with having somebody else get in and end up with the same situation we’ve had for a long period of years,” Trump said at a press briefing, adding that any transition “has to be judicious, because that’s what we’re all about.”
Trump called the operation “an incredible thing to see,” boasting that no American soldiers were killed and no military equipment was lost.
Venezuela’s defense minister, however, dismissed claims that the US could “run” the country, vowing to resist foreign control.
The White House expressed confidence that the interim government under Delcy Rodríguez would comply with US demands following Maduro’s capture. Trump also warned of more strikes targeting alleged drug trafficking networks, including upcoming operations on Venezuelan soil.
The weekend attacks capped months of US military buildup in the region, coming after Trump authorized the CIA in October to combat illegal migration and drug flows from Venezuela.
The situation remains tense as the world watches the fallout of one of the most audacious US military operations in recent memory.
