Trump, airstrike on Caracas, Venezuela…"Maduro captured and being transported"

U.S. launches surprise airstrikes on Venezuela

"Maduro and wife arrested," Trump announces…cooperated with CIA

Flames near Venezuela's 'El Libertador' airbase in Caracas

CBS: "Ground attack approved days ago"

Venezuelan government condemns as "U.S. military aggression"

Trump's pressure for Maduro to step down intensifies

"Western Hemisphere first" — Trump second-term NSS becoming reality?

Observations of 'Donroism' in Caracas airstrike

Donald Trump’s U.S. administration carried out airstrikes around Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, on the 3rd (local time) and reportedly captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and is transporting him out of Venezuela. By capturing and effectively ousting the anti-American President Maduro, the Trump administration’s 'Donroism' is expected to draw further attention.

U.S. launches surprise airstrikes on Venezuela

President Trump released a statement on the social media platform Truth Social, saying, "The United States has successfully carried out large-scale airstrikes against Venezuela and President Maduro," and "President Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores have been arrested and are being transported out of Venezuela." He added, "This operation was carried out in cooperation with U.S. law enforcement agencies." This is interpreted as a reference to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

Earlier that dawn, foreign outlets such as AP and AFP reported hearing multiple explosions in Caracas. According to AP, at around 2 a.m. local time at least seven explosions and the sound of low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas, and residents poured into the streets across the city. Smoke was seen rising from a hangar at a military base in Caracas. Jennifer Jacobs of CBS, citing U.S. officials, also reported on X (formerly Twitter) that "President Donald Trump ordered airstrikes on multiple sites within Venezuela, including military facilities."

The airstrikes also occurred outside Caracas. Flames were seen near Maracay in Aragua state in central Venezuela, where the 'El Libertador' airbase, considered a core of Venezuela's airpower, is located. That area is a major operational hub and strategic stronghold of the Venezuelan air force. AFP said, "This attack will be recorded as the first U.S. ground attack on Venezuelan territory."

The U.S. surprise attack on Venezuela was confirmed to have been meticulously planned. CBS cited anonymous U.S. government sources saying, "President Trump approved a ground attack on Venezuela several days ago," and "There was discussion of conducting the mission on Christmas Day, but U.S. airstrikes targeting Islamic State (IS) targets in Nigeria took priority."

The Venezuelan government immediately issued a statement saying, "We firmly reject U.S. military aggression" and announced it would mobilize all forces to respond. It also "ordered all domestic social and political forces to implement mobilization plans and called for condemnation of this imperialist attack." The Venezuelan government declared a state of emergency in the name of President Maduro.

Trump's Donroism — will it explode in Venezuela?

The airstrikes took place after President Trump warned that he was "considering all options" while pressuring President Maduro to step down. President Trump recently warned several times that the United States was preparing new measures against Venezuelan drug trafficking organizations and that a ground attack would begin "soon."

President Maduro has ruled Venezuela since 2013. The Trump administration views Maduro as leading drug cartels and orchestrating drug trafficking and various terrorist activities. Since last year, President Trump has been interdicting vessels suspected of carrying drugs in the Caribbean and seizing tankers bound for Venezuela. Recently, U.S. forces also attacked and destroyed dock facilities where Venezuelan drug ships moored.

Some observers say the U.S. airstrikes on Caracas may be the first sign of the Trump administration's isolationist foreign policy direction known as 'Donroism.' Named after Donald Trump, this new Monroe Doctrine is an "expanded and revised" version of the Monroe Doctrine, which advocated refraining from intervening in European conflicts in the 1800s and focusing on national interests in the Americas.

Earlier, the White House revealed in last month’s first "National Security Strategy" (NSS) of a second Trump administration that while maintaining leadership in the Indo-Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East, it would set strategic priorities on the Western Hemisphere, North America, and Latin America, revealing an isolationist-leaning plan.

Reporter Donghyun Kim 3code@hankyung.com