‘Historic leadership’: Netanyahu congratulates Trump on Venezuela operation; applauds ‘brilliant action’ of US forces

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated US President Donald Trump following the US military operation in Venezuela that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, praising Trump’s leadership and the role of American soldiers.In a post on X late Saturday night , Netanyahu said, “Congratulations, President Donald Trump for your bold and historic leadership on behalf of freedom and justice. I salute your decisive resolve and the brilliant action of your brave soldiers.”The US on Saturday captured Maduro and his wife after carrying out a targeted military operation. The action followed years of US sanctions on Venezuela and a previously announced $50 million bounty for Maduro’s arrest. Washington has accused Maduro of involvement in drug trafficking and of rigging the 2024 election.US President Donald Trump said he watched the operation live as American forces carried out the raid, monitoring events in real time from Mar-a-Lago. Speaking in telephone interviews with Fox News and Fox & Friends Weekend, Trump compared the operation to watching a television program.“I mean, I watched it, literally, like I was watching a television show,” Trump said. “If you would have seen the speed, the violence — we watched every aspect of it.”Trump said Maduro was captured from a heavily guarded compound, describing the mission as carefully planned and executed. “He was in a fortress,” he said, calling it a “brilliant operation.” He added that US forces broke through steel doors within seconds, saying, “I’ve never seen anything like it, actually.”Following the operation, Trump said the United States would take control of Venezuela’s vast oil reserves and encourage American companies to invest billions of dollars to rebuild the country’s oil industry, CNN reported.According to CNN, Maduro is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn and is expected to face drugs and weapons charges in Manhattan federal court.Venezuela holds about 303 billion barrels of crude oil, roughly a fifth of the world’s global reserves, according to the US Energy Information Administration. A US-led revamp of the oil sector could make Venezuela a larger oil supplier and create opportunities for Western oil companies, while potentially helping to keep global oil prices in check, CNN reported.