A significant military operation conducted by United States forces in Venezuela has resulted in substantial casualties, with The New York Times reporting approximately 40 fatalities according to an anonymous senior Venezuelan official. The extensive aerial assaults occurred during pre-dawn hours on Saturday as part of an apparent mission to apprehend Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his spouse, both of whom are currently detained in New York.
Verified visual evidence obtained by the publication depicts dense smoke plumes and consecutive detonations in proximity to La Carlota Airport within Caracas, Venezuela’s capital district. Additional strikes targeted a residential structure in Catia La Mar, a western municipality of Caracas, where explosive impacts demolished external walls of a three-story apartment complex. Initial reports confirm at least one elderly female civilian died in this incident, with another individual sustaining critical injuries.
Multiple American news organizations, referencing Venezuelan governmental sources, indicated that military installations across Caribbean coastal regions including Miranda, Aragua, and La Guaira states faced simultaneous bombardments alongside the capital operations.
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez acknowledged on Saturday that casualties encompassed both non-combatant civilians and armed forces personnel, though precise numbers remained unspecified during initial assessments.
In a Fox News interview, US President Donald Trump confirmed American personnel sustained injuries during the extraction operation targeting Maduro, while clarifying no US military fatalities occurred. The President additionally noted damage to one United States aircraft deployed during the mission.