Early this Saturday, January 3, Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, has registered several detonations y explosions in the midst of an escalation of tensions with the United States, which, before the end of the year, already attacked a port dock where drugs were supposedly stored. These attacks have come after months of tension between both governments, during which the United States has attacked on several occasions alleged drug boats.
This is what is known at the moment about the United States attack on Venezuela.
🔴 What happened?
United States has bombed this morning several civil and military areas strategic areas of Venezuela, including the capital Caracas, and has captured its leader Nicolás Maduro. President Donald Trump’s announcement about the “arrest” of the Venezuelan president was in fact confirmed by his entire line of succession.
🔴 Where is Maduro?
Hours after the attacks, Washington announced that Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro has been captured with his wifey transferred out of the country.
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez demanded a “immediate life test” from Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. This proof of life arrived on Saturday afternoon. It is a image of Maduro inside the Iwo Jima aircraft carrierwith an opaque mask. Only the Venezuelan president can be seen in the image, although his wife has also been captured with him.
At this time, both Maduro and Flores would be traveling on a ship to New Yorkas reported by Trump in a press conference.
🔴 The targets attacked
The Government of Venezuela assured that the attacks, in addition to Caracas, hit the neighboring states of Miranda, La Guaira and Aragua. During the first hours of the offensive, military bases, ports, airports, telecommunications infrastructures and others were bombed. civilian targets.
Some of the objectives were Fort Tiunathe largest military installation in the country; the El Libertador air basethe most important in the country; the Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda air basethe main air base in Caracas; he Higuerote civil airportin Miranda; La Guairawhere commercial and military ports are located; and the Volcano Hillwhere telecommunications and radio and television signals are housed.
🔴 How has the Government of Venezuela reacted?
The Minister of Defense of Venezuela, Vladimir Padrino Lópezdenounced this Saturday the attack with missiles from US helicopters on civilian areas of Caracas, as well as in other places in the country, and has indicated that they are in the search for possible injured or dead. “This invasion represents the greatest outrage the country has suffered that responds to the insatiable greed for our strategic resources,” said Padrino López in a video statement broadcast on social networks.
🔴 The division of the Venezuelan people
Although the rhetorical and military tension already foreshadowed an escalation, the speed of events has surprised to many Venezuelans.
The news is being received as a breath of fresh air by the Venezuelan community exiledwhich had been anxiously waiting for decades for the collapse of the regime erected almost three decades ago by Commander Hugo Chávez.
However, there is also concern. “I have dreamed of this moment for almost 30 years, but now the feeling is bittersweet. I imagined a peaceful and democratic exit and seeing the streets of your country on fire is not a great joy,” explains Richard Sánchez, opposition member and member of the association of Venezuelans in Catalonia.
🔴 What will happen now with Maduro?
Pam Bondi, the attorney general of Donald Trump’s government, has announced that Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been imputed in the southern district of New York. The charges against the Venezuelan president and his wife, according to the message posted by Bondi on the social network shortly before 7:30 a.m. in Washington, are narcoterrorism conspiracy, conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices against the United States.
🔴 How have the main countries reacted?
The international community has reacted disappearbetween harsh condemnations from Caracas’ allies, celebrations among its detractors and cautious positions from European countries.
Russiaone of Maduro’s main allies and business partners, has explicitly condemned the bombings. For its part, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China has condemned the attack as a threat to “peace and security in Latin America and the Caribbean.” Colombia, Mexico, Chile, Brazil and Cuba They have also spoken out against the US attacks.
In contrast, other countries in the region, such as Argentinahave celebrated the operation. “Freedom advances. Long live freedom, damn it,” wrote the Argentine president, Javier Milei. The president of EcuadorDaniel Noboa has also stated in X: “All narco-Chavista criminals have their time come.
🔴 Who will govern in Venezuela now?
According to the ConstitutionVice President Delcy Rodríguez must be the replacement natural. It was Trump who gave him visibility by giving him the character of interlocutor from Washington. She said that there is an open channel of dialogue between her and the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. “She just took over, she was chosen by Maduro. “She is willing to do what we believe needs to be done to make Venezuela great again.”
For its part, Donald Trump declared in an unprecedented press conference at Mar-a-Lago that America is going to run the country until we can make a safe, appropriate and sensible transition.”
🔴 What does Donald Trump intend to do in Venezuela?
More and more voices believe that the true motivations of the Trump Administration are provoke a regime change to give rise to a massive wave of privatizations that allows American companies to access the natural resources Venezuelans. And the fact is that, among other things, Venezuela has the largest proven oil reserves in the worldestimated at more than 300,000 million barrels of crude oil. And in the US some no longer hide the object of desire.
🔴 What is the aircraft carrier that transports Maduro and his wife like?
The Venezuelan leader and his wife are aboard the USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7), a warship of the north american navy designed to operate in complex missions. The USS Iwo Jima is a ship multipurpose amphibious assault of the Wasp class, conceived to be a mobile naval base with enormous military and logistical capabilities. With about 257 meters in length and about 40,000 tons of displacement, this type of ship can operate similarly to a “mini aircraft carrier.”
🔴 Who is Cilia Flores, Maduro’s wife, also detained and accused of drug trafficking by Trump?
The figure of Cilia Flores within the Venezuelan regime is far from that of a traditional first lady. Its official title, “first fighter of the homeland“, reflects his influence within Chavismo. Over the years, he has accompanied Maduro in his role as Venezuela’s highest representative and has woven a network of power that even precedes his partner’s presidency. Also known as “Chavez’s daughter“, the 69-year-old lawyer became a key figure of the Bolivarian process. His link with Nicolás Maduro dates back to common support for Hugo Chávez.
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