“Washington Escalates Venezuela Intervention, Maduro Regime Ousted in Overnight Operation”
In a stunning and highly controversial move, the United States has confirmed a large-scale operation targeting the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, resulting in the arrest and removal of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife. President Donald Trump, in a brief statement released early Saturday, declared the operation a success, claiming it was conducted in coordination with U.S. law enforcement agencies.
The operation, which commenced around 2:00 AM local time (7:00 AM CET), was preceded by a series of powerful explosions that shook Caracas and triggered a state of emergency declaration by the Venezuelan government. Venezuelan officials have publicly denounced the event as a “severe military attack” raising immediate concerns about the legality and international ramifications of the U.S. action.
While the White House framed the intervention as a targeted operation against Maduro, citing purported involvement in narcotics trafficking, critics are already condemning the blatant disregard for Venezuelan sovereignty and international law. The operation marks a significant escalation of tensions between the two nations, which have been simmering for years amid accusations of human rights abuses and corruption within the Maduro regime.
The U.S. has previously engaged in sporadic, albeit increasingly aggressive, confrontations with vessels suspected of drug smuggling in the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean, resulting in over 100 reported fatalities. However, this direct assault on a sovereign nation’s leadership represents a radical departure from previous engagement and opens a Pandora’s Box of potential diplomatic and political fallout.
Several nations are already voicing alarm regarding the unilateral action. Concerns are mounting over the potential for instability within Venezuela, as well as the precedent this establishes for future U.S. intervention in other nations’ internal affairs. Analysts suggest the move undermines international institutions and the principles of national self-determination.
The long-term consequences of this operation remain uncertain, but the immediate impact is a dramatically altered political landscape in Venezuela and a renewed period of intense scrutiny on U.S. foreign policy. Questions are also being raised about the validity of the U.S. claims and the potential for a destabilizing power vacuum within Venezuela, potentially drawing in other regional and international actors.
