<p><!-- BEGIN THEIA POST SLIDER --></p>
<!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.98 -->
<div class="quads-location quads-ad4" id="quads-ad4" style="float:none;margin:0px;">

</div>

<p> ;</p><div class="1nJluwSt" style="clear:both;float:left;width:100%;margin:0 0 20px 0;"><script async src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>

<!-- TV -->

<ins class="adsbygoogle"

 style="display:block"

 data-ad-client="ca-pub-4403533287178375"

 data-ad-slot="4399361195"

 data-ad-format="auto"

 data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>

<script>

 (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

</script></div>
<p>By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa</p><div class="jElDkqYJ" style="clear:both;float:left;width:100%;margin:0 0 20px 0;"><script async src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>

<!-- TV -->

<ins class="adsbygoogle"

 style="display:block"

 data-ad-client="ca-pub-4403533287178375"

 data-ad-slot="4399361195"

 data-ad-format="auto"

 data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>

<script>

 (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

</script></div>
<p> ;</p>
<p>President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that the United States has captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, following what he termed a “large-scale strike” on Venezuela—an assertion that has triggered global alarm and official denials from Caracas.</p>
<p>Shortly after Trump&#8217;s audacious claim, Venezuela’s Vice President, Delcy Rodríguez, delivered an emotional audio statement broadcast on state television, revealing that the government had lost contact with the presidential couple. “We do not know the whereabouts of our President and First Lady,” Rodríguez said. “The Venezuelan government demands evidence that they are alive.”</p><div class="RPRzEMUc" style="clear:both;float:left;width:100%;margin:0 0 20px 0;"><script async src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>

<ins class="adsbygoogle"

 style="display:block; text-align:center;"

 data-ad-layout="in-article"

 data-ad-format="fluid"

 data-ad-client="ca-pub-4403533287178375"

 data-ad-slot="6550225277"></ins>

<script>

 (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

</script></div>
<p>The claim follows reported U.S. air and naval operations across the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific, which Washington described as counter-narcotics actions targeting smuggling vessels and Venezuelan military docking areas.</p>
<!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.98 -->
<div class="quads-location quads-ad1" id="quads-ad1" style="float:none;margin:0px;">

</div>

<p>If verified, Maduro’s capture would represent the most significant U.S. military intervention in Latin America in decades, evoking a controversial history of American-led seizures of foreign leaders.</p>
<!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.98 -->
<div class="quads-location quads-ad5" id="quads-ad5" style="float:none;margin:0px;">

</div>

<p>Historical Precedents</p>
<p>The announcement draws immediate parallels to two past operations: the 1989 invasion of Panama to capture General Manuel Noriega and the 2003 capture of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.</p>
<p>In December 1989, the U.S. launched Operation Just Cause, its largest military action since the Vietnam War, to remove Noriega—once a Washington ally—on charges of drug trafficking and election fraud. Noriega was tried and imprisoned in the U.S. before being extradited to Panama, where he died in prison in 2017.</p>
<p>In 2003, Saddam Hussein was seized by U.S. forces months after the invasion of Iraq, which was justified by since-debunked claims of weapons of mass destruction. He was later convicted by an Iraqi court and executed in 2006.</p>
<p>More recently, former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández was extradited to the U.S. on drug-trafficking charges and sentenced to 45 years in prison, only to be pardoned by Trump in December 2025—a move that sparked outrage in Honduras.</p>
<p>The Ongoing Uncertainty</p>
<p>Towards the late hours of Saturday night, the U.S. released images purporting to show Maduro handcuffed upon arrival in New York. The Venezuelan government, however, continues to insist that his fate remains unknown, deepening a crisis of verification and escalating diplomatic tensions.</p>
<p>The situation remains fluid, with Venezuela demanding international accountability and proof of life, while Washington presents the operation as a targeted action against a leader long accused of narco-terrorism and authoritarian rule.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, analysts have opined that Venezuela having the world’s largest oil reserves is main reason for the attacks.</p>
<p><!-- END THEIA POST SLIDER -->
<!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.98 -->
<div class="quads-location quads-ad4" id="quads-ad4" style="float:none;margin:0px;">

</div>
</p>
<script async src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>

<ins class="adsbygoogle"

 style="display:block"

 data-ad-format="autorelaxed"

 data-ad-client="ca-pub-4403533287178375"

 data-ad-slot="1004305389"></ins>

<script>

 (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

</script>
<!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.98 -->
<div class="quads-location quads-ad3" id="quads-ad3" style="float:none;margin:0px;">

</div>


