The United States conducted an unusual midnight operation Friday that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his flight out of the country, after months of increasing pressure from the Trump administration on the oil-rich South American country. The operation was accompanied by a flurry of strikes.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!US President Donald Trump said on Fox News Saturday that the nation is now determining its next course of action for Venezuela, adding, “We’ll be involved in it very much.”
Maduro and his wife will be charged following an indictment in New York, according to US Attorney General Pam Bondi. In a social media post, Bondi announced that the couple would “soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts.”
The US invasion of Panama, which resulted in the surrender and capture of its leader, Manuel Antonio Noriega, in 1990, exactly 36 years ago on Saturday, was repeated by the American military action that removed a country’s incumbent leader from office.
The explosions in Caracas itself lasted less than half an hour. At least seven explosions caused individuals to flee into the streets, while others reported what they had heard and seen on social media. Whether there were any fatalities or injuries on either side was not known.
The strike’s legal ramifications under American law were not immediately apparent, because the US does not acknowledge the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) jurisdiction. Maduro has effectively converted Venezuela into a criminal operation at the service of terrorist organisations and drug traffickers, according to the Trump administration, which argues that he is not the country’s legitimate leader.
The future of Venezuela is uncertain as Vice President Delcy Rodriguez is supposed to assume power by law, but there has been no confirmation yet. Maduro’s regime called on people to take to the streets and accused the US of launching an “imperialist attack” on military and civilian facilities.
Trump has frequently asserted without supporting evidence that vessels from Venezuela have been bringing drugs into the US. However, Venezuela is not a significant drug supplier. There is no proof that fentanyl originates in Venezuela. Instead, the great majority of fentanyl that enters the US does so via Mexico and is frequently made from precursor compounds that are imported from Asia.
Although there are other illegal armed groups in Venezuela, Colombia and other Andean countries generate most of the cocaine that leaves the country. Drug traffickers frequently use the Caribbean as a starting point to transport their goods into European markets.