At least 40 people, including civilians and soldiers, were killed in a large-scale US military strike on Venezuela early Saturday, The New York Times reported, citing a senior Venezuelan official with access to preliminary casualty assessments.

“At least 40 people, including civilians and soldiers, were killed in the attack,” the newspaper said, quoting the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The strike formed part of a dramatic overnight operation that also led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

US President Donald Trump confirmed that American forces had seized Maduro and removed him from the country, saying parts of Caracas were plunged into darkness during the operation.

With Maduro now in US custody, Trump said Washington would assume control of Venezuela temporarily. “We will run the country until we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” he told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. “We can’t take a chance that someone else takes over Venezuela who doesn’t have the interests of Venezuelans in mind.”

Meanwhile, a plane carrying Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, arrived at Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York later on Saturday evening. Maduro is expected to face drug and weapons charges in Manhattan federal court next week.

Hours after the operation, Trump said the United States would “run” Venezuela at least in the short term and signalled plans to tap the country’s vast oil reserves to sell to other nations, underscoring Washington’s intent to shape Venezuela’s immediate future.

The scale of Saturday’s operation marks the most forceful US action aimed at regime change since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The move has raised sharp questions among critics about the legality of Washington’s actions and the long-term consequences of direct US control in a deeply polarised South American nation, even as Venezuelan officials vowed defiance in the wake of Maduro’s removal.

Source: India Today