Pedestrians walk past destroyed containers lay at La Guaira port after explosions were heard in Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026.
Pedestrians walk past destroyed containers lay at La Guaira port after explosions were heard in Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (Matias Delacroix | AP)
U.S. interventions in Latin America and the Caribbean haven’t always gone as planned
The U.S. captured Venezuela’s leader Nicolás Maduro as part of a major military operation overnight that rocked the country’s capital, Caracas.
The U.S. launched the operation in the middle of the night. The actions follows months of a military buildup in the region and repeated threats by President Trump against Maduro.
Here’s a look at Venezuela and reactions from around the world.
Picture of fire at Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela’s largest military complex, after a series of explosions in Caracas on January 3, 2026. (Luis James | AFP/Getty Images)Pedestrians run after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas, Venezuela. (Matias Delacroix | AP)Men watch smoke rising from a dock after explosions were heard at La Guaira port, Venezuela. (Matias Delacroix | AP)Fire at Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela’s largest military complex, is seen from a distance after a series of explosions in Caracas on Jan. 3, 2026. (AFP | Getty Images)Venezuelans celebrate in Madrid after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro had been captured and flown out of the country. (Bernat Armangue | AP)Concrete blocks block the highway leading from Simón Bolívar International Airport to Caracas in Maiquetía, Venezuela. (Matias Delacroix | AP)Venezuelans celebrate after President Trump announced that President Nicolas Maduro had been captured and flown out of Venezuela, in Lima, Peru. (Martin Mejia | AP)Secretary of State Marco Rubio looks on as President Trump speaks to the press following U.S. military actions in Venezuela, at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, on January 3, 2026. (Jim Watson | Getty Images)Civilians living inside Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela’s largest military complex, leave the place, in Caracas, after U.S. forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. (Federico Parra | AFP/Getty Images)People line up outside a supermarket in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (Ariana Cubillos | AP)Venezuelans living in Chile celebrate in Santiago, after U.S. forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro after launching a “large scale strike” on Venezuela. (Javier Torres | AFP/Getty Images)People protest outside the White House in Washington, D.C. after the U.S. strikes in Venezuela. Ken Kuchda of Alexandria, Va., left, and Lydia Riley of Washington D.C. attended the protest that was organized by the Party for Socialism and Liberation. (Tyrone Turner | WAMU/NPR)A member of the National Guard stands guard at Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela’s largest military complex, in Caracas. (Federico Parra | AFP/Getty Images)Supporters of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro embrace in downtown Caracas, Venezuela. (Cristian Hernandez | AP)Protesters rally outside the White House Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in Washington, after the U.S. captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife in a military operation. (Tyrone Turner | WAMU/NPR)A woman cries during a rally of supporters of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (Cristian Hernandez | AP)Pro-government armed civilians patrol in La Guaira, Venezuela after President Trump announced that President Nicolás Maduro had been captured and flown out of the country. (Matias Delacroix | AP)A member the National Guard stands guard at an entrance to Fuerte Tiuna in Caracas. (Federico Parra | AFP/Getty Images)
