
U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington will govern Venezuela until a “safe transition” is achieved, following the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in a large-scale military operation.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro had been captured and removed from the country following what he described as a “large-scale” U.S. military operation carried out overnight.

A wave of powerful explosions shook Caracas during the early hours of Saturday, marking the most serious escalation to date in the confrontation between the United States and Venezuela. Residents reported repeated blasts, aircraft flying at low altitude, and widespread power outages, while images and videos circulating on social media showed fires and thick columns of smoke rising from several strategic areas of the capital.

Argentina's Foreign Ministry on Friday updated a travel advisory warning against visiting Venezuela, given the growing number of arbitrary detentions under the Chavista regime of Nicolás Maduro.

Venezuela's Bolivarian regime announced the release of 88 people who had been detained following the July 28, 2024, presidential elections, which Nicolás Maduro claimed to have won despite producing no corroborating evidence.

US President Donald Trump confirmed on Monday that the United States has launched its first strike against a land-based target in Venezuela, marking a significant escalation in the administration's anti-narco-terrorism campaign.

Venezuela's Bolivarian regime released on Thursday 71 political prisoners who had been detained during the wave of protests following the controversial July 2024 presidential elections, which Nicolás Maduro claimed to have won despite producing no supporting evidence.

International oil benchmarks posted modest gains on Tuesday as the market entered a holiday-shortened week. Investors remained focused on the escalating geopolitical friction between Washington and Caracas, which has introduced a risk premium into an otherwise oversupplied market.

Following a high-level summit at the Carondelet Palace in Quito on Tuesday, Chilean President-elect José Antonio Kast and Ecuadorean President Daniel Noboa have signaled a unified front on the South American migration crisis. Both leaders discussed Kast's proposal to establish a humanitarian corridor to facilitate the return of undocumented Venezuelan migrants to their home country.

Russia has reportedly begun evacuating the families of its diplomats from Venezuela as tensions with the United States reach a volatile peak. According to the Associated Press (AP), citing a European intelligence source, the operation began on Friday and involves women and children.