Trump reveals he has ‘captured’ Venezuelan president and his wife after launching military strikes on capital

Venezuela's president Nicolás Maduro has been removed from power after an overnight operation by the US military that saw explosions rock the country's capital Caracas, according to President Trump.

Initial reports indicated that the US had carried out strikes in the South American country, with smoke and fire filling the Caracas skyline. But in a first confirmation of the attack on foreign soil a few hours later, Trump revealed that the operation had essentially enacted a regime change.

In his first post on Truth Social since reports of strikes in Venezuela broke in the early hours of Saturday, January 3, the president confirmed the military attack and revealed that they had also extracted the country's leader, Nicolas Maduro.

He said: "The United States of America has successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country."

Nicolas Maduro has allegedly been removed from power (JUAN BARRETO/AFP via Getty Images)

The president went on to confirm that the removal of Venezuela's leader from office was considered a criminal matter for US justice, adding: "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. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP."

It is understood that Delta Force operatives were used to remove Maduro from the country, an unprecedented action against a head of state in South America. His wife Cilia Flores was also taken by the special forces team.

Venezuela's government has denounced the attacks, which are also believed to have struck the regions of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira overnight.

In a statement, the government said it 'rejects, repudiates and denounces before the international community the extremely serious military aggression perpetrated by the current Government of the United States of America.'

Maduro, 63, started out life as a bus driver before rising to political power in the socialist country through its trade union movement, ultimately replacing the influential revolutionary Hugo Chavez as leader of the resource-rich nation.

What will happen next inside Venezuela is not known (Jesus Vargas/Getty Images)

He assumed office in 2013 after Chavez won an election but died soon after, with Maduro widely being viewed as a dictator who has not allowed fair elections by international organizations.

The socialist state is sitting on the world's largest verified crude oil reserves, as well as much of the country's rare earth minerals, including the all-important element lithium, which powers batteries, chips, and devices around the world.

President Trump has claimed that much of these nationalized resources have been 'stolen' from US business interests by the socialists in power.

As a key ally of Venezuela, Cuba's President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez has slammed the US' attack on Maduro as 'state terrorism'.

He said in a statement: "Cuba denounces and urgently demands the reaction of the international community against the criminal attack by the US on Venezuela.

"Our #ZonaDePaz [Zone of Peace] is being brutally assaulted. State terrorism against the brave Venezuelan people and against Our America."

Meanwhile, AFP has reported that Colombian military resources have been mobilized around its border with Venezuela as the wider region waits to see what unfolds next.