skip to contentAdvertisementUS strikes Venezuela: In Catia La Mar, a low-income area near Caracas airport, an airstrike hit a three-storey residential building, destroying an exterior wall.By: Express Web Desk January 4, 2026 08:20 AM IST First published on: Jan 4, 2026 at 08:11 AM IST ShareWhatsapptwitterFacebookProtesters demonstrate in front of Stewart Air National Guard Base before the arrival of captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, in Newburgh, New York. (AP Photo)US strikes Venezuela: At least 40 people including civilians and soldiers were killed in the US attack on Caracas early Saturday, according to a senior Venezuelan official who spoke to The New York Times on condition of anonymity, citing early reports.The strike took place as US Special Operations forces captured President Nicolas Maduro and his wife in a night-time operation.President Donald Trump, speaking on Fox News, said no US troops were killed, although some service members may have been injured. General Dan Caine said helicopters extracting Maduro came under fire, and one aircraft was hit but “remained flyable”.WHERE THE DEADLIEST DAMAGE OCCURREDIn Catia La Mar, a low-income area near Caracas airport, an airstrike hit a three-storey residential building, destroying an exterior wall.The blast killed 80-year-old Rosa González and seriously injured another resident, her family told The New York Times. Her nephew, Wilman González, said the explosion happened at around 2 a.m. He showed journalists the point of impact and said he did not know where he would live now.Story continues below this adProtesters demonstrate in front of Stewart Air National Guard Base before the arrival of captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, in Newburgh, N.Y. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)Residents gathered quietly outside the building. Some prayed, while others expressed anger. A neighbour named Jorge, aged 70, said he lost everything in the strike. Another resident, Javier, blamed what he described as greed connected to Venezuela’s oil fields.Locals said four men tried to rescue González and took her to hospital by motorbike, but she was declared dead on arrival. Another woman survived but was reported to be in critical condition.HOW THE OPERATION WAS CARRIED OUTMore than 150 American aircraft were deployed to disable Venezuelan air defences before helicopters delivered troops to Maduro’s compound.Also read Nicolas Maduro on a US warship, will face prosecution in New York, says Donald TrumpThe raid began at 2 a.m. local time and lasted two hours and twenty minutes. Maduro and his wife were then flown to New York City to face federal drug charges under a new indictment.Story continues below this adWHO CLAIMS POWER IN VENEZUELA NOWAfter the attack, Vice-President Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as interim president at a private ceremony in Caracas.Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodriguez takes part in talks with the Russian Foreign Minister during in Moscow. (Photo: AP)“There is only one president in this country, and his name is Nicolás Maduro Moros,” she said in a national address, quoted by The New York Times.Opposition leader María Corina Machado called for Edmundo González to be recognised as president and said the opposition was prepared “to enforce our mandate and take power.”President Trump said his secretary of state Marco Rubio had spoken with Rodríguez and that “she’s essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again.” He said Machado did not have enough support to lead the country.Story continues below this adWHY THE UNITED STATES SAYS IT INTERVENEDA federal court in New York has charged Maduro, his wife and four others with offences including narco-terrorism and cocaine conspiracy, similar to an earlier 2020 indictment.Also read ‘Today is the day of freedom,’ Venezuelan diaspora says after Nicolas Maduro’s removalAt his news conference, President Trump said the United States would “run the country” until a “safe, proper and judicious transition” is put in place. He also spoke about opening Venezuela’s state-controlled oil sector to US companies.“We are going to run the country right. It’s going to make a lot of money,” he said.REACTION INSIDE VENEZUELAState-run television showed anti-US protests in several cities, including Caracas, where Maduro supporters called the raid illegal and described his transfer as kidnapping.Story continues below this adThe Times also reported that the capture was supported by a CIA source inside the Venezuelan government who had tracked Maduro’s movements.Most ReadWomen celebrate and dance while holding up an image featuring US President Donald Trump, Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in the parking lot of Mi Querencia Latin Market off Westheimer Parkway in Katy, Texas. after the US captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife in a military operation. (Photo: AP)Before the strike, the US military had built up troops, ships and aircraft in the Caribbean and carried out operations against vessels and tankers linked to Venezuela, disrupting the country’s oil revenues.There were no clear signs of a US military occupation on Saturday afternoon, and Maduro-aligned officials continued to appear in government roles.Both Rodríguez and the opposition are now pressing competing claims to power, while the United States says it will oversee a transition process.AdvertisementAdvertisementLoading Taboola...