U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday praised a large-scale military operation carried out in Venezuela, describing it as highly complex and signalling plans to accelerate U.S. weapons production in its aftermath.
Speaking to the House Republican Conference at the Kennedy Center in Washington, Trump said the operation involved extensive air and ground coordination, including 152 aircraft.
“It was so complex, 152 airplanes,” Trump said. “Many people talk about boots on the ground. We had a lot of boots on the ground.”
Trump claimed no American troops were killed during the operation, while acknowledging casualties on the opposing side. He said power supplies across most of Venezuela were cut at the outset of the mission.
“That’s when they knew there was a problem. There was no electricity,” he said, adding that only candlelight remained in some areas.
The U.S. president stressed what he described as the superiority of American military capabilities, arguing that no other country could have carried out a similar operation.
“Nobody has our weapons. Nobody has the quality of our weapons,” Trump said.
However, he argued that U.S. defence manufacturing has failed to keep pace with operational demands, vowing to push weapons producers to speed up output.
“We’re going to start producing them much faster,” Trump said. “We’re going to be very tough on the companies. We’re not letting that happen anymore.”
Trump also commented on the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, saying U.S. authorities had pursued him for years. He accused Maduro of widespread violence and human rights abuses, claims long denied by Caracas.
Washington confirmed that U.S. forces carried out Operation Absolute Resolve on Saturday, during which Maduro was detained and transferred to U.S. custody. The operation included air strikes on air defence and communications infrastructure in northern Venezuela, as well as a special operations raid in Caracas targeting Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
The Trump administration has framed the operation as part of a renewed application of the Monroe Doctrine, citing efforts to combat alleged narcotics trafficking and corruption. U.S. officials have also openly linked the intervention to safeguarding American strategic and economic interests, including access to Venezuela’s oil reserves.
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Sweden's centre-right government has abandoned plans to lower the age of criminal responsibility to 13, instead proposing a revised threshold of 14, Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer confirmed on Thursday (11 June).
A prominent Palestinian doctor detained by Israel for more than 500 days appeared by video link before Israel's Supreme Court on Wednesday (11 June), marking the first time he has been seen publicly since February, according to rights groups.
Three Indian sailors have been killed after a U.S. military strike on a commercial tanker in the Gulf of Oman, India's shipping minister has confirmed. The incident has sparked diplomatic tensions between New Delhi and Washington.
All personnel on board a Pakistani military helicopter were killed when the aircraft crashed near Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-administered Kashmir on Wednesday (10 June), according to the country's military.
Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry says 19 citizens have been repatriated following a deadly drone attack on two cargo ships in the Sea of Azov on 5 June.
A Sudanese man has been arrested over a knife attack in Belfast that left a man seriously injured and prompted calls online for a protest after footage of the incident circulated widely on social media.
Mexico and South Africa meet in Thursday’s World Cup opener in Mexico City, with both teams approaching the match from very different positions but facing their own pressures.
Iran and Israel said on Monday (8 June) they had halted attacks on each other following an appeal from U.S. President Donald Trump, as Axios reported that Trump had privately told Benjamin Netanyahu “be careful, or you will be on your own very soon”.
Ukraine's military said it struck a Russian "shadow fleet" tanker in the Black Sea as part of ongoing efforts to disrupt Moscow's energy and logistics networks. The move underscores Kyiv's focus on targeting maritime assets it says are used to bypass sanctions on Russian oil exports.
Sweden's centre-right government has abandoned plans to lower the age of criminal responsibility to 13, instead proposing a revised threshold of 14, Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer confirmed on Thursday (11 June).
Three Indian sailors have been killed after a U.S. military strike on a commercial tanker in the Gulf of Oman, India's shipping minister has confirmed. The incident has sparked diplomatic tensions between New Delhi and Washington.
The number of people displaced by conflict and persecution around the world fell in 2025 for the first time in more than a decade, according to a new report by the UN refugee agency.
Mexico and South Africa meet in Thursday’s World Cup opener in Mexico City, with both teams approaching the match from very different positions but facing their own pressures.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 11 June, covering the latest developments you need to know.
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