US President Donald Trump said Saturday that US forces had captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro after launching a “large-scale strike” on the South American country. “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,“ Trump said in a Truth Social post . Trump said he would give a news conference at 11:00am (1600 GMT) at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. The US has not made such a direct intervention in Latin America since the invasion of Panama in 1989 to depose military leader Manuel Noriega. There was no immediate confirmation from the Venezuelan government. The US has accused Maduro of running a “narco-state” and rigging an election. The Venezuelan leader, who succeeded Hugo Chavez to take power in 2013, has said Washington wants to take control of its oil reserves, the largest in the world. Multiple explosions rocked Venezuela’s capital Caracas early on Saturday and columns of black smoke and aircraft could be seen, according to Reuters witnesses and images circulating on social media. A power outage affected the southern area of the city, near a major military base, witnesses said. View this post on Instagram US President Donald Trump has repeatedly promised land operations in Venezuela. He has not publicly detailed his aims but has privately pressured President Nicolas Maduro to flee the nation. Trump said on Monday it would be “smart” for Maduro to leave power. The Pentagon referred questions to the White House, which declined to comment. Maduro has accused the Trump administration of seeking a change in government to gain access to Venezuela’s vast oil reserves. Trump last month announced a blockade of all sanctioned vessels going in or out of Venezuelan waters as part of a strategy to pressure Maduro. “At this moment they are bombing Caracas,” Colombian President Gustavo Petro posted on X. “Alert everyone they have attacked Venezuela. They are bombing with missiles. The (Organisation of American States) and the UN must meet immediately.” Petro, who did not provide further information or indicate the source of his assertions, has repeatedly expressed opposition to the US pressure campaign. The US has made a major military buildup in the region, including an aircraft carrier, warships and advanced fighter jets stationed in the Caribbean. In addition to the blockade announcement, Trump has expanded sanctions and staged more than two dozen strikes on vessels the US alleges were involved in trafficking drugs in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea. Last week, Trump said the United States had “hit” an area in Venezuela where boats are loaded with drugs, marking the first known time Washington has carried out land operations in Venezuela since the pressure campaign began. He did not say whether those strikes were carried out by the CIA or not. Other media outlets have reported that the spy agency was behind them. Trump has accused the South American country of flooding the US with drugs, and his administration has for months been bombing boats originating in South America that it alleges were carrying drugs. Many nations have condemned the attacks as extrajudicial killings and Maduro’s government has always denied any involvement with drug trafficking.