US strikes, President Maduro's capture, Trump's control claim: The Venezuela shock in 5 points

In a brazen move that for some blurs the lines betwixt justness and vigilantism, the President Donald Trump-led United States administration on Saturday captured Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro along with his wife after a lightning military strike that hit country's capital Caracas as well as other areas as part of its crackdown on “narco-terrorism”.

Maduro was flown out of Venezuela, leaving the world wondering what just happened, while Trump said the US is going to run the country until a transition of power happens. Follow Venezuela-US tensions LIVE updates here

Since the US strikes on Venezuela, multiple developments have taken place, including the Venezuelan Supreme Court ordering Vice President Delcy Rodríguez to assume the role of acting president of the country in the absence of Nicolás Maduro, “detained” by the United States.

-How it began: Tensions between US and Venezuela were existing over Trump's allegations of drug trafficking, for which he has carried out multiple deadly strikes on alleged smuggling boats. Things, however, went up several notches on Saturday as reports of explosions, low-flying jets in Venezuelan capital Caracas and other cities started coming in.

There was no word from the US for the initial few hours while reports citing officials claimed the explosions were strikes ordered Trump, who later took to Truth Social and announced that the blasts were “large scale” strikes carried out by the United States, which he said captured and flew out of the Country Venezuelan President Maduro along with his wife Cilia Flores.

“The United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolás Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country. This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement. Details to follow. There will be a News Conference today at 11 A.M., at Mar-a-Lago,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, hours after first reports of the explosions.

-How was Maduro was captured, transported to US: Trump said he was able to watch the operation real-time and gave a detailed description of the same that saw the United States launch airstrikes on Venezuela before special forces captured the leftist leader, in the climax to a months-long pressure campaign.

Maduro and his wife were transported to a US Navy ship offshore before being flown to the United States on Saturday evening. Read a detailed report on how US captured Maduro here

Video that surfaced showed a plane arriving at Stewart International Airport about 60 miles (97 km) northwest of New York City, with several US personnel boarding the aircraft after it landed. A Justice Department official confirmed Maduro had landed in New York, and video later showed a large convoy arriving at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn under a heavy police presence.

Trump later released the first picture of Maduro on board the US Warship Iwo Jima. In a post on Truth Social on Saturday, US President Trump said, "Nicolas Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima."

-US charges against Maduro: According to an indictment made public Saturday, Maduro is charged alongside his wife, his son and three others. Maduro is indicted on four counts: narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.

Authorities have accused that the Venezuelan government worked directly with powerful and violent drug trafficking organisations such as the Sinaloa Cartel and Tren de Aragua gang. It is alleged that profits were sent to high-ranking officials who helped and protected them in exchange, an Associated Press report mentioned.

-Trump says US to run Venezuela: Trump announced on Saturday that the United States would assume temporary control over Venezuela following the capture of President Nicolás Maduro in the dramatic operation that ended with his transfer to New York, where he is expected to face drug-trafficking charges.

"We will run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition," Trump said during a press conference 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."

According to Trump, the plan would involve major American oil companies entering Venezuela to repair and modernize the nation's severely deteriorated oil infrastructure. Experts cautioned that restoring production in the country, which holds the world's largest oil reserves, could take many years.

However, critics argued that Trump's mention of “oil” during the press conference cast doubt on the administration's portrayal of Maduro's capture - along with a series of lethal missile strikes on suspected drug vessels - as primarily a law enforcement effort designed to disrupt drug trafficking to the United States.

-Venezuela SC asks Vice President to take over as acting President: The Constitutional Chamber of Venezuela's Supreme Court ordered on Saturday that Vice President Delcy Rodríguez assume the role of acting president of the country in the absence of Maduro, Reuters and other media outlets reported.

The court ruling said that Rodríguez would assume "the office of President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, in order to guarantee administrative continuity and the comprehensive defense of the Nation."

The dramatic developments sparked reactions globally, with calls for peace and respect for international law. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was "deeply concerned that the rules of international law have not been respected."

Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement that "China is deeply shocked and strongly condemns the use of force by the US against a sovereign country and the use of force against the president of a country."

Russia's foreign ministry termed US action as “an act of armed aggression against Venezuela” which was "deeply concerning and condemnable."

"The pretexts used to justify such actions are unfounded. Ideological animosity has prevailed over business pragmatism and the willingness to build relationships based on trust and predictability," Reuters quoted Russian foreign ministry's statement.

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