Venezuela-US tensions LIVE: Maduro in New York jail; North Korea calls US action ‘high-handed’, China seeks immediate release

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel supports the United States’ “strong action” in Venezuela, following the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro by US forces.

“Regarding Venezuela, I wish to express the support of the entire government for the resolute decision and strong action of the United States to restore freedom and justice to that region of the world,” Netanyahu said during the opening of a cabinet meeting.

The Government of Ghana has expressed serious concern over the “unilateral and unauthorised” US invasion of Venezuela and the subsequent capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. Accra said the actions, carried out in the early hours of January 3, violated international law and the principles of sovereignty and political independence.

Ghana strongly opposed the use of force without international approval, warning that such actions undermine the United Nations Charter. It also said attempts to occupy foreign territories or control strategic resources, including oil, could have serious repercussions for global stability.

The government criticised US President Donald Trump’s remarks about “running” Venezuela during a transition and allowing major US oil companies to operate in the country, saying such comments echoed colonial-era thinking and set a dangerous global precedent.

Ghana reaffirmed its support for self-determination, called for immediate de-escalation, and demanded the release of President Maduro and his wife.

A group of Peruvian shamans gathered by the sea in Lima’s Miraflores district on Monday to perform their annual ritual of making predictions for the year ahead.

Wearing traditional Andean ponchos and headdresses, the shamans carried out a ceremonial event in which they forecast developments in global affairs, including international relations, ongoing conflicts and the fate of world leaders.

During this year’s ritual, the shamans predicted that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro would be removed from office. They also said that global conflicts, including the war in Ukraine, would continue in 2026.

Venezuelan Nobel laureate and opposition leader María Corina Machado said “Venezuela will be free” after speaking with French President Emmanuel Macron, thanking him and urging global leaders to stand with Venezuela “in this decisive hour”.

Macron responded by saying Machado could count on France’s full support, signalling Paris’s backing for democratic change in the country.

A day after Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured by US forces and flown to New York, the White House released a video mocking Maduro and offering glimpses of how the operation unfolded.

The video features blurred footage of Maduro intercut with scenes from the press conference in which his capture was announced and explained.

As the footage of Maduro plays, subtitles appear in capital letters reading, “Come get me”, “I’ll wait for him here in Miraflores”, “Don’t be late in arriving”, and “Coward!”. The remarks, taken from earlier clips, appear to have been directed at the US and President Donald Trump.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife were captured and flown out of the country, US President Donald Trump announced on social media at 4:21 am on Saturday. About ten minutes later, Tyler Pager, a White House reporter for The New York Times, called Trump, who answered the call after three rings, the newspaper reported.

“I just called him directly and he picked up. I wasn’t that surprised because the president’s phone habits are well documented — he regularly takes calls from reporters,” the NYT quoted Pager as saying.

Pager said it was the first time he had ever called the president on his personal cellphone, adding that there is a very high threshold for reaching Trump directly. He said he made the call only after consulting Dick Stevenson, the Washington bureau chief.

Pope Leo XIV said the welfare of the Venezuelan people must take priority following the removal of President Nicolás Maduro in a US operation, and stressed the need to safeguard the country’s sovereignty.

Speaking after the Angelus prayer in St Peter’s Square, the pope said the well-being of the Venezuelan people should prevail over all other considerations, calling for an end to violence and a move towards justice and peace while ensuring respect for the nation’s sovereignty.

A US-led takeover or restructuring of Venezuela’s oil sector could bring direct benefits for India, including the possible recovery of nearly $1 billion in long-pending dues and a faster revival of crude production from fields operated by Indian firms in the sanctions-hit country, analysts and industry sources said.

India was once a major buyer of Venezuelan heavy crude, importing more than 400,000 barrels per day at peak levels, before sweeping US sanctions and compliance risks forced a halt to purchases in 2020.

ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL), India’s flagship overseas oil producer, jointly operates the San Cristobal oilfield in eastern Venezuela. However, production has been sharply restricted as US sanctions cut off access to key technology, equipment and services, leaving commercially viable reserves largely stranded.

Analysts say the US attack on Venezuela could encourage China to assert its territorial claims over areas like Taiwan and parts of the South China Sea, though it is unlikely to accelerate any potential move against Taiwan.

They note that Chinese President Xi Jinping’s decisions regarding Taiwan are driven more by domestic considerations than by developments in Latin America.

Still, experts suggest that President Donald Trump’s bold operation on Saturday, which led to the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, provides China with an unexpected opportunity to criticise the US and strengthen its position on the global stage in the near term.

Reacting to the US operation in Venezuela, North Korea on Sunday condemned the strikes as the “most serious form of encroachment on sovereignty.”

According to Reuters, North Korea said it was closely monitoring the situation in Venezuela, describing the US action as an act of “high-handedness.”

A senior aide to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Sunday that Britain had no involvement in the US military strikes on Venezuela and had not been informed beforehand.

Speaking to Sky News, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones described the operation as entirely American and said the UK played no part in its planning or execution.

When asked whether the strike was successful, Jones said it was not for Britain to judge, adding that only the US could comment. Prime Minister Starmer had earlier stated that the UK was not involved, though he noted that Britain considers Nicolás Maduro an illegitimate president.

Trump said US oil companies would invest billions of dollars to rebuild Venezuela’s deteriorating energy infrastructure following the military operation that led to the capture of the country’s former leader, Nicolás Maduro.

Speaking at a press conference on Saturday at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, Trump outlined plans to leverage US financial resources and industry expertise to revive Venezuela’s oil sector.

“We’re going to have our very large United States oil companies — the biggest in the world — go in, spend billions of dollars, repair the badly broken oil infrastructure, and start generating revenue for the country,” Trump said. “They will be reimbursed.”

Trump said on Saturday that the US had carried out a “large-scale” attack on Venezuela and captured its leader, Nicolás Maduro, along with his wife, Cilia Flores.

However, the military operation, named “Operation Absolute Resolve”, has come under scrutiny, with experts noting that the US president may have violated international law. Click here to READ MORE.

Evan Ellis, a former US adviser on Venezuelan policy, told the BBC that there is significant uncertainty over what lies ahead for Venezuela’s leadership.

He said the Trump administration seems to be entering a new phase of “coercive negotiation” with Venezuela, rather than pushing for an immediate transition to democracy.

Former Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Sunday warned US President Donald Trump that what may appear as a short-term victory today could turn into a major defeat tomorrow.

In a post on X, López Obrador said he may be retired from politics, but his convictions did not allow him to remain silent in the face of what he called an arrogant assault on the sovereignty of the Venezuelan people and the kidnapping of their president. He said neither Simón Bolívar nor Abraham Lincoln would have accepted the United States acting as a global tyrant.

Addressing Trump directly, López Obrador urged him not to become complacent or be swayed by hardliners, saying he had the ability to act with practical judgement. He cautioned that politics should not be about imposition and warned that fleeting victories could lead to lasting setbacks.

He also invoked the words of Benito Juárez, saying that respect for the rights of others is the foundation of peace. López Obrador said he was proud to be Mexican and Latin American and expressed unconditional support for Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.

China’s foreign ministry has urged the United States to immediately release Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, calling on Washington to resolve the situation in Venezuela through dialogue and negotiation.

In a statement posted on its website, the ministry said the US must ensure the personal safety of Maduro and his wife, adding that their removal from the country violated international law and established international norms.

Venezuela-US conflict LIVE: While some celebrated Maduro’s ousting, here are some visuals from anti-war rallies that took over the US soon after the American strikes on the Venezuelan soil.

Image Source: AP

Venezuela-US conflict LIVE: On Sunday, India reacted to the ongoing Venezuela-US tension, calling it a ‘matter of deep concern’. In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the Indian Embassy in contact is also in contact with the Indian community in Venezuela and will continue to provide them all the necessary assistance.

“Recent developments in Venezuela are a matter of deep concern. We are closely monitoring the evolving situation,” the statement read. “India reaffirms its support to the well-being and safety of the people of Venezuela. We call upon all concerned to address issues peacefully through dialogue, ensuring peace and stability of the region.”

Venezuela-US conflict LIVE: Apart from Maduro, the US military also captured Venezuela’s First Lady, Cilia Flores. The First Lady of the Latin American nation has long been a powerful figure in Venezuelan politics, blending legal authority and political force.

In 2006, she became the first woman to serve as the President of the Venezuelan National Assembly and later served as the Attorney General of Venezuela. She married President Nicolas Maduro in 2013, shortly after he assumed the presidency following Hugo Chavez’s death.

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro arrives with his wife Cilia Flores to deliver his annual speech to parliament in Caracas on January 15, 2025.- AFP

Flores rejected the title of First Lady and has often urged people to call her First Combatant. The US attorney general said on Saturday that she and her husband will face drug-related charges in the US.

Venezuela-US conflict LIVE: As the world wakes up to the news of US military operation in Venezuela, Australia has called on “all relevant parties” to support dialogue and diplomacy following the capture of Latin American nation’s President, Nicholas Maduro.

In a post on X, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that his government is “monitoring developments in Venezuela” after the US military operation.

“We urge all parties to support dialogue and diplomacy in order to secure regional stability and prevent escalation,” Albanese said. “We continue to support international law and a peaceful, democratic transition in Venezuela that reflects the will of the Venezuelan people,” he added.

Venezuela is in shock. Nicolás Maduro was captured by the US military and flown out of the country, and was taken to a detention centre in New York. Caracas now faces a dangerous power vacuum. U.S. President Donald Trump claims Washington will influence Venezuela’s political transition, raising tensions across the region. So, who will take over the reins in Venezuela? Palki Sharma tells you.

Venezuela-US conflict LIVE: “I watched it, literally, like I was watching a television show. And if you would have seen the speed, the violence… It was an amazing thing, an amazing job that these people did. Nobody else could have done anything like it.”

This is how US President Donald Trump described ‘Operation Absolute Resolve’, the military operation to seize Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro, who has now arrived in New York and will stand trial on drug and weapon charges.

A handcuffed Nicolas Maduro in New York City after being captured by US forces from Caracas. Image Courtesy: X

Operation Absolute Resolve is the dramatic culmination of a months-long campaign whose ultimate goal has long been clear to those involved in its planning: to oust the Venezuelan president from power.

Here’s how this complex, dangerous and daring operation unfolded — from planning to execution and extraction.

Venezuela-US conflict LIVE: In a statement on Sunday, China called on the United States to “immediately” release Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, who are in custody in the US after being snatched by American forces from the Venezuelan capital Caracas.

“China calls on the US to ensure the personal safety of President Maduro and his wife, immediately release President Maduro and his wife, cease its efforts to subvert the Venezuelan regime, and resolve the issue through dialogue and negotiation,” the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement.

In the past, Beijing has maintained that it was “deeply shocked by and strongly condemns the US’s blatant use of force against a sovereign state.”

Venezuela-US conflict LIVE: World leaders, including China, Russia, and several Latin American countries, condemned the US action in Venezuela as a violation of sovereignty and international law, prompting an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.

Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro and Delcy Rodriguez attend the Expo Motores Productivo, showcasing agri‑food and industrial sector production, as US President Donald Trump’s administration ramps up pressure on Maduro’s government, in Caracas, on, December 22, 2025. Miraflores Palace/Handout via Reuters

Here’s a look at how the world leaders reacted to the ongoing tensions.

US allies are responding with caution after Donald Trump attacked Venezuela and captured its president, Nicolas Maduro. Venezuela’s allies like Iran and Russia have condemned the strikes and criticised Trump’s moves. Firstpost’s Palki Sharma tells you how the world reacted to Maduro’s capture

During the Saturday presser at Mar-a-Lago resort, the US president commented on how the Venezuelan operation advanced his “America First” priorities.

Trump said, “American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never be questioned again”. The American leader noted that the attack closely aligns with the “Monroe Doctrine” – named after the fifth president of the US, James Monroe, which Trump rebranded the “Donroe Doctrine”.

The Monroe Doctrine was an early 19th-century American foreign policy that asserted the Western Hemisphere should be free from influence by European powers. In 1904, when European creditors threatened Latin American countries, then President Theodore Roosevelt expanded the doctrine, allowing the US to step in if the countries could not manage their own stability.

US President Donald Trump speaks as Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth look on during a press conference following a US strike on Venezuela, where President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured, from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida. Reuters

In the span of the next two decades, the doctrine served as justification for US intervention in Haiti, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.

A daring operation by US troops has culminated with the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. Now, Maduro has been brought to New York where he has been detained and awaiting trial on charges of ‘narco-terrorism’.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump declared that America would “run the country” for now.

This image posted on US President Donald Trump’s Truth Social account on January 3, 2026, shows what President Trump says is Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro onboard the USS Iwo Jima after the US military captured him on January 3, 2026.- AFP

Experts note that the dramatic seizure of Maduro is beyond even the most high-profile historical examples of aggressive American actions toward autocratic governments in Panama, Iraq and elsewhere.

It has even raised questions about the legality of Maduro’s capture by the US.

Here’s what we know.

Venezuela-US conflict LIVE: Amid the ongoing crisis in Venezuela, Elon Musk’s Starlink announced that it is providing free broadband services to people in Venezuela until February 3, following the US operation that ousted President Nicolás Maduro.

In a post on X, the company said it pledged “continued connectivity” to Venezuela, a country that is known to grapple with online censorship, with Maduro’s government having previously blocked Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and other platforms in the past.

US President-elect Donald Trump listens as Elon Musk explains the operations ahead of the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket, November 19, 2024, in Boca Chica, Texas. File Image/AP

The announcement came after metrics from Netblocks showed a sudden loss of internet connectivity in parts of Caracas on Saturday, which it said corresponded to “power cuts during the US military operation.” Local media also suggested that there are no internet connections in some parts of the capital.

Venezuela-US conflict LIVE: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has been captured by the US and now faces trial for ‘narco-terrorism conspiracy’. He began his career as a bus driver and then became a trade union leader. His foray into politics got him closer to Hugo Chavez, whom he succeeded as president.

Born in Caracas, Nicolas Maduro is a professed Marxist and Christian. As a teenager, he played guitar in a rock band called Enigma. He is a baseball fan and dances salsa, often in front of cameras.

Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro, flanked by his wife Cilia Flores and Delcy Rodriguez, at a special session of the National Constituent Assembly to take oath after he was re-elected president at the Palacio Federal Legislativo in Caracas, Venezuela, May 24, 2018. File photo/Reuters

He was the son of a political activist and joined the socialist league as a student. He began his career as a bus driver and then became a trade union leader. That opened the door to politics.

Here’s a look at the rise and fall of Nicolas Maduro .

Venezuela-US conflict LIVE: Former National Security Advisor John Bolton revealed to CNN that a plan to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro was floated to US President Donald Trump during his first term, but did not go anywhere as administration officials were unable to keep the president “focused” on the issue.

“Trump was already very interested in Venezuelan oil during his first term,” Bolton told CNN. He and his team were able to get Trump interested in the idea of removing Maduro, but “couldn’t keep him focused on it,” Bolton recalled.

Bolton maintained that the current National Security Advisor Marco Rubio appeared to have had more success convincing Trump to take action in his second term.

“I think this time Trump was persuaded, obviously, to engage in it because of Rubio’s persistence and because of the political benefits,” he said.

Venezuela-US conflict LIVE: Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders slammed US President Donald Trump and said his attack on Venezuela will not make the US and the world safer. “Quite the contrary, this brazen violation of international law gives a green light to any country on Earth that may wish to attack another nation, to seize their resources or change their government,” he said in a post on X.

Sanders went on to liken Trump’s move to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine, saying, “This is the horrific logic, of course, that Putin used to justify his brutal attack on Ukraine.”

“Let’s make no mistake about it: This is rank imperialism. It recalls the darkest chapters of US interventions in Latin America, which have left a terrible legacy. It will and should be condemned by the democratic world,” he added.

Venezuela-US conflict LIVE: Celebrations broke out outside the New York detention centre after Maduro’s capture. Here are some visuals from the scene.

Image Source: AP / Reuters

Venezuela-US conflict LIVE: US Transport Secretary Sean Duffy said that the American flights over Caribbean airspace are set to resume from midnight Eastern Time.

“The original restrictions around the Caribbean airspace are expiring at 12:00 am ET, and flights can resume,” Duffy said in a post on X on Saturday.

It is pertinent to note that much of the Caribbean airspace has been closed since the United States struck Venezuela, captured President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, and flew them out of the country. Hundreds of flights from Caribbean airports were cancelled or delayed in light of the current situation.

Venezuela-US conflict LIVE: Ben Saul, Special Rapporteur to the United Nations Human Rights Council, took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to condemn the US operation in Venezuela. “I condemn the US’s illegal aggression against Venezuela & the illegal abduction of its leader & his wife. Every Venezuelan life lost is a violation of the right to life,” he said in a post.

“President Trump should be impeached & investigated for the alleged killings,” he furthered.

Venezuela-US conflict LIVE: According to a report by The New York Times, at least 40 people were killed in US strikes on Venezuela. The news outlet cited an unnamed Venezuelan official who discussed the findings of preliminary assessments.

The report stated that those killed included civilians and military members, and that a US air strike hit a three-storey residential building in the Catia La Mar neighbourhood, located in a poor coastal area west of the Caracas airport.

The authorities noted that among those killed in the strike was an 80-year-old woman named Rosa Gonzalez and her family. Another person was also reported injured in the strike.

Picture of fire at Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela’s largest military complex, after a series of explosions in Caracas on January 3, 2026. Loud explosions, accompanied by sounds resembling aircraft flyovers, were heard in Caracas around 2:00 am (0600 GMT) on January 3, an AFP journalist reported. The explosions come as US President Donald Trump, who has deployed a navy task force to the Caribbean, raised the possibility of ground strikes against Venezuela. (Photo by Luis JAIMES / AFP)

Venezuela-US conflict LIVE: Leon Fresco, a former deputy assistant attorney general at the US Department of Justice, said that Maduro will be “arraigned in court” either on Monday or Tuesday, “for the crimes of conspiracy and drug trafficking”.

“He will have to either plead guilty or not guilty. Most people plead not guilty in this situation, and then he will be asking for bond, at which time most likely be denied because you know he is an international leader and he’s a very likely fugitive if he were to be sent out on bond,” Fresco told Al Jazeera.

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro being walked in custody down a hallway at the offices of the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in New York City. @RapidResponse47/Reuters

The Venezuelan president will have the option for what’s called a speedy trial, which requires proceedings to be held within 70 days. If he waives that right, “then the trial could take up to a year or two years, and there’s going to be a lot of jurisdictional arguments,” said Fresco.