The United States hit Venezuela with a large-scale strike early Saturday and said President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were captured and flown out of the country after months of stepped-up pressure by Washington an extraordinary nighttime operation announced by President Donald Trump on social media hours after the attack.

Multiple explosions rang out, and low-flying aircraft swept through Caracas, the capital, as Maduro's government immediately accused the US of attacking civilian and military installations. The Venezuelan government called it an imperialist attack and urged citizens to take to the streets.