The Vice President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, reported this Saturday that “the whereabouts of the ruler Nicolás Maduro and the First Combatant Cilia Flores are unknown,” following the announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump that both had been “captured and taken outside of Venezuela.”
Rodríguez made the statement during a special broadcast on the state channel Venezolana de Televisión, in which he described the situation as “a moment of utmost gravity for the nation.” “We are facing an unprecedented imperial aggression. So far, we have been unable to establish communication with the president or the first combatant,” he affirmed.
The official's message comes just hours after Trump confirmed on his social media platform Truth Social that "the United States has successfully carried out a large-scale attack against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolás Maduro."
The U.S. president stated that he will hold a press conference at Mar-a-Lago at 11:00 a.m. (local Florida time) to provide more details about the operation.
In parallel, the Venezuelan government maintains the state of emergency declared early in the morning, while new attacks are reported in Caracas, Aragua, La Guaira, and Miranda. The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, reiterated his request for urgent meetings of the UN and the OAS to address the crisis.
From Havana, Miguel Díaz-Canel condemned the attack and demanded an “urgent reaction from the international community,” describing the U.S. actions as “state terrorism against the brave Venezuelan people and against Our America.”
The situation in Caracas remains uncertain. Local authorities report power outages, explosions in military areas, and a heavy troop presence at Fuerte Tiuna and Miraflores. So far, there is no official confirmation regarding Maduro's whereabouts.
Delcy Rodríguez demands proof of life for Maduro and Cilia Flores from the U.S
Rodríguez also confirmed that the Government “is unaware of the whereabouts of President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores,” following the U.S. attacks against Venezuela.
“Given this brutal situation and this brutal attack, we are unaware of the whereabouts of President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores. We demand that the government of President Donald Trump provide immediate proof of life for President Maduro and the First Lady,” Rodríguez declared on national television.
The official stated that Maduro himself had warned days earlier about "an aggression of this nature due to the desperation and energy voracity of the United States." "The president had been very clear with the Venezuelan people: that provocations and aggressions aimed at seizing our resources could occur," she added.
Rodríguez's statements came just hours after Trump confirmed on his social media platform Truth Social that "the United States has successfully carried out a large-scale attack against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolás Maduro," who, along with his wife, has reportedly been taken out of the country.
The vice president reiterated that Venezuela is facing "an unprecedented imperial aggression" and urged the international community to "reject the kidnapping" of the president. Meanwhile, bombings continue in various areas of the country, and the state of emergency declared by the government remains in effect.
So far, there has been no confirmation regarding the whereabouts or images that corroborate the U.S. version of the capture of Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores.
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