Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro (R) and his wife, Cilia Flores (File photo)

Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been kidnapped by US armed forces, US President Donald Trump claims, after Washington carried out a large-scale strike against the country.

In a post published on the social media platform Truth Social on Saturday, Trump said the couple had been flown out of Venezuela.

"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," he wrote.

There has been no statement from the Venezuelan government regarding Maduro`s whereabouts after the US military aggression against the South American country this morning.

In a video published on Facebook, the Venezuelan Minister of Defense, Vladimir Lopez, said that the news about his death during the US missile attack on Caracas is not true, and he is safe in a bunker.

"Heroic people of Venezuela! Soldiers of the Fatherland! Sons and daughters of Bolívar! The Bolivarian National Armed Forces inform the entire world that in the early hours of January 3, 2026, the Venezuelan people became the target of the most criminal military aggression by the government of the United States," Lopez said.

"Honor, duty, and history call upon us. Let the cry of a free Fatherland echo in every corner. Victory is ours, because reason and dignity stand with us. We will prevail," he added.

In the early hours of Saturday morning, at around 2 a.m. local time (6 a.m. GMT), explosions were heard across Caracas, while unmanned aircraft flew across the South American country.

The US armed forces carried out coordinated strikes on civilian and military targets in Caracas and several other states.

The Venezuelan government said the attacks are a direct act of military aggression aimed at seizing the country`s oil and mineral wealth.

The Venezuelan government has declared a nationwide state of emergency, activated its national defense plans in full, and authorized the deployment of comprehensive defense commands across the country in response to the attacks.

Caracas has said it retains the right to legitimate self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter and called on regional governments and the international community to stand against what it described as imperialist aggression.