US President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that United States forces have captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, following a "large scale strike" on the South American nation.

The dramatic operation, which reportedly involved elite special forces, marks a massive escalation in the long-standing tensions between Washington and Caracas.

"The United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the country," Trump posted on Truth Social early Saturday morning.

He added that the mission was executed "in conjunction with US Law Enforcement."

The announcement followed a night of chaos in the Venezuelan capital. Residents reported at least seven major explosions and the sound of low-flying aircraft around 2 am (local time).

Targets reportedly included La Carlota military airport and Fuerte Tiuna, the country’s largest military complex.

In a brief phone interview with The New York Times, Trump hailed the mission as "brilliant," crediting "great, great troops" and "good planning."

While the White House and Pentagon have not released specific operational details, reports indicate that the US Army’s Delta Force carried out the capture.

The strike follows months of aggressive US military posturing in the Caribbean.

The Trump administration had already established a massive naval blockade, deploying the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to intercept oil tankers and "narco-boats."

Trump has frequently argued that Maduro’s government is a "narcoterrorist" regime responsible for flooding the US with drugs. Just days ago, the President warned that Maduro's "days are numbered" and dismissed a last-minute offer from Caracas to cooperate on migration and drug trafficking as insufficient.

The Venezuelan government, which had declared a "national emergency" and a "state of external disturbance" immediately after the strikes, accused the US of "military aggression" aimed at seizing the country's oil and mineral resources.

While Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López appeared in a video calling for national resistance, he did not initially confirm or deny the report of Maduro’s capture.

President Trump is scheduled to provide more details during a press conference at 11 am (1600 GMT) today at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.

Source: AFP