Maduro gave state TV address as US strikes in Venezuela began: report

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduroreportedly made a statement on television and radio early Saturday as the U.S.strikes against his country unfolded, describing them as an “attack against the sovereignty of Venezuela.” 

The remarks came before PresidentDonald Trumpannounced that Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were “captured and flown out of the country” after a “large scale strike” carried out by the U.S.military.Attorney GeneralPam Bondilater said Maduro and Flores were indicted on charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy. 

In comments aired on state television and radio, Maduro alleged that U.S.forces attacked civilian and military sites in Venezuela’s capital of Caracas and the states of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira, according toThe Miami Herald.

“This is an attack against the sovereignty of Venezuela,” Maduro reportedly said as he stood alongside military and government officials.“It is an attempt to impose a colonial war and force political change by violence.”

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Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, right, meets with Qi Xiaoqi, special envoy of President Xi Jinping, in Caracas, Venezuela, Jan.2, 2026. (Presidency of Venezuela/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Maduro also described the U.S.actions as a “grave military aggression” andviolation of the United Nations charter, adding that it threatened peace across Latin America and the Caribbean, The Miami Herald reported. 

The U.S.has been carrying out a military campaign against allegeddrug-trafficking boats in the Caribbeanand Eastern Pacific in recent months. 

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Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro addresses supporters during a rally marking the anniversary of the 19th-century Battle of Santa Ines in Caracas, Venezuela, Dec.10, 2025. (Pedro Rances Mattey/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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Maduro’s government cast the U.S.strikes on Saturday as part of a larger American effort to seize Venezuela’s oil and mineral reserves, according to The Miami Herald. 

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The newspaper reported that state TV broadcast images of Venezuelan soldiers deploying to strategic infrastructure and officials holding emergency meetings. 

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro addresses members of the armed forces, Bolivarian Militia, police and civilians during a rally against a possible escalation of U.S.actions toward the country at Fort Tiuna military base in Caracas, Venezuela, Nov.25, 2025. (Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/Reuters)

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