President Donald Trump on Saturday claimed that United States forces had captured Venezuelan leader, Mr. Nicolas Maduro, following what he described as 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,” Mr. Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.

“This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. law enforcement,” he added.

Mr. Trump said he would address the media at a news conference scheduled for 11:00 a.m. (1600 GMT) at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, where he is nearing the end of a two-week Christmas and New Year holiday.

In a brief telephone interview with The New York Times, Mr. Trump described the operation as “brilliant.”

“A lot of good planning, and a lot of great, great troops and great people,” the newspaper quoted him as saying.

The dramatic announcement comes after months of escalating United States military and economic pressure on Mr. Maduro’s leftist government and Venezuela’s oil-dependent economy.

In December, Mr. Trump said “it would be smart for (Maduro)” to step down, adding on another occasion that the Venezuelan leader’s “days are numbered.”

Mr. Trump’s claim of Mr. Maduro’s capture came just two days after the Venezuelan president sought to engage with him, offering cooperation on combating drug trafficking and illegal migration.

The US president has advanced multiple justifications for his campaign against Venezuela, including allegations that the country is a major exporter of illegal drugs to the United States and claims that Venezuela seized American oil interests.

Although Mr. Trump has not explicitly called for Mr. Maduro’s removal from office, the US government, along with many European countries, does not recognise the Venezuelan leader’s legitimacy.

A significant naval and aerial presence has been deployed in the Caribbean, including the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and several other warships.

As part of what officials describe as an oil blockade, US forces have seized two tankers at sea and carried out aerial strikes that reportedly killed more than 100 people while targeting small boats accused of drug trafficking.

Mr. Trump told reporters on Monday that US forces had struck and destroyed a docking facility allegedly used by Venezuelan drug traffickers, marking what he said was the first known attack on Venezuelan territory during the campaign.