'Don't know what's coming next': Fear and hope collide as Venezuela wakes after US strikes

Venezuelans woke on Saturday to deserted streets, plumes of smoke and a single, nagging question: who is in charge now?

Security forces patrolled near-empty avenues in the capital hours after loud explosions rattled Caracas and US commandos carried out overnight strikes that President Donald Trump said led to the capture of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife.


Reuters reported that areas around the Miraflores presidential palace were sealed off with checkpoints manned by armed personnel, while residents stayed indoors, glued to their phones for updates.

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"We don't know what's coming next," Nancy Perez, 74, told Reuters. "I saw it first on social media, then on television. Now everyone is just waiting," she said.

Dark smoke continued to rise from the direction of the Port of La Guaira north of Caracas which was severely damaged according to CBS news, while another plume was visible near a major air base in the capital.

Meanwhile, videos showed explosions lighting up the night sky, followed by sustained blasts.

Most residents chose to remain at home, though long lines formed at grocery stores as people stocked up on food and essentials. Fuel stations were shut across several cities, adding to fears of prolonged disruption.

"I went to check on my workshop because I was afraid of looting, but the streets were empty,” Jairo Chacin, 39, a mechanic in the oil hub of Maracaibo told Reuters.

For some opposition supporters, cautious optimism mixed with anxiety. Chacin said his sister, who lives in the United States, called him in tears when the news broke. "We cried together out of happiness," he said, "but nobody knows what happens now."

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump confirmed Maduro's capture, following months of accusations that the Venezuelan leader was involved in drug trafficking and illegitimately clinging to power.

The operation marked the first US military intervention aimed at removing a foreign leader since the 1989 invasion of Panama.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: "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. This operation was done in conjunction with US Law Enforcement."