(Image from video obtained by Reuters)WASHINGTON - The United States attacked Venezuela and deposed its long-serving autocratic President Nicolas Maduro on Saturday, President Donald Trump said, in Washington’s most direct intervention in Latin ‌America since the 1989 invasion of Panama. Rubio “anticipates no further action in Venezuela now that Maduro is in US custody”, Lee wrote on X. “We demand that President Donald Trump’s government provide immediate proof of life for President Maduro and the First Lady,” Rodriguez said in an audio played on state TV. Trump had repeatedly promised land operations in Venezuela and warned on Monday it would be “smart” for Maduro to leave. (Story continues below)A supporter of deposed president Nicolas Maduro holds a flag of Venezuela on a street near Miraflores Palace in Caracas, after President Donald Trump said the US had struck Venezuela and captured Maduro, in Caracas, on Jan 3, 2026.

Source: Bangkok Post January 03, 2026 09:48 UTC