The United States is “not afraid of boots on the ground,” a statement that underscores the nation’s readiness to engage directly if necessary.

In a significant turn of events, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife were extradited to New York to confront serious charges related to narcotics and terrorism. This development marks a pivotal moment in the ongoing tension between the US and Venezuela.

Maria Corina Machado, the US-backed opposition leader who received the Nobel Peace Prize last year, expressed her optimism on social media. “The hour of freedom has arrived,” she wrote, following the decisive action against Maduro.

During his speech, former President Donald Trump emphasized that the US commitment in this matter is unlikely to be fleeting, indicating a potentially prolonged engagement.

In his address, Trump also made clear that the US presence is unlikely to be short.

China, a backer of Maduro’s hard-left regime, said it “strongly condemns” the US attack, while France warned that a solution for troubled Venezuela cannot “be imposed from outside.”

Blackout and bombing

Caracas residents woke to explosions and the whir of military helicopters around 2am (local time). Airstrikes hit a major military base and an airbase, among other sites, for nearly an hour, journalists from the Agence France-Presse said.

Within hours of the operation, Caracas had fallen eerily quiet, with police stationed outside public buildings and a smell of smoke drifting through the streets.

Shifting justifications

Maduro — in power since 2013 after taking over from leftist mentor Hugo Chavez — long accused Trump of seeking regime change in order to control Venezuela’s huge oil reserves.