Venezuela, Nigeria, 5 Other Countries Targeted by US Strikes Under Trump, Full List Emerges
- Venezuela is the latest country to be hit by United States (US) strikes as the Donald Trump administration ramps up military interventions
- The US launched an audacious military operation that plucked Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power and removed him from the country
- The US attack on Venezuela and the purported “capture” of President Maduro have drawn strong reactions across the globe
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering world news and global affairs.
New York, USA - The US captured Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro after a large-scale strike on the South American country, US President Donald Trump said.
As reported by the BBC on Saturday, January 3, Venezuela's left-wing president and his wife, First Lady Cilia Flores, are at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Centre, after they were flown to an air base in New York. They have been charged with drug and weapons offences.
Source: Twitter
Where else has Trump flexed US military might around the world since he assumed power in January 2025? Legit.ng highlights them.
7 countries hit by US strikes under Trump
1) US' strikes on Iranian nuclear sites
On June 22, 2025, the US Air Force and Navy attacked three nuclear facilities in Iran as part of the Iran–Israel war, under the code name Operation Midnight Hammer. The Fordow Uranium Enrichment Plant, the Natanz Nuclear Facility, and the Isfahan Nuclear Technology Centre were targeted with 14 GBU-57A/B MOP "bunker buster" bombs carried by B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, and Tomahawk missiles fired from a submarine.
According to Trump, US F-35 and F-22 fighters also entered Iran's airspace to draw its surface-to-air missiles, but no launches were detected.
2) US' strikes on ISIS targets in Iraq
American forces also carried out regular airstrikes and raids in Iraq, targeting Islamic State fighters and infrastructure, according to US Central Command.
The missions included airstrikes on the Islamic State (ISIS) hideouts, raids with partner forces in the region and retaliatory operations following threats to US troops in the middle-east.
3) US' sustained Yemen strikes
2025 most sustained US air campaign came in Yemen, where American warplanes and ships repeatedly struck Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
The Pentagon said the strikes targeted missiles, drones, radar systems and launch sites after the Houthis, a Zaydi revivalist and Islamist political and military organisation, ramped up attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea during the conflict in the middle-east.
4) Trump era: US hits Somalia
The US has dramatically intensified its military air campaign in Somalia, carrying out at least 111 strikes against armed groups, since President Trump returned to office, according to the New America Foundation, which monitors the operations.
In the most recent one, the US Africa Command conducted an air strike on December 14, approximately 50 kilometres (31 miles) northeast of the city of Kismayo, targeting what it said were members of the Somali armed group, al-Shabaab.
5) US' major strike on IS in Syria
In December 2025, the US said its military carried out a "massive strike" against ISIS terrorists in Syria, in response to a deadly attack on American forces in the country.
The US Central Command (Centcom) said fighter jets, attack helicopters and artillery "struck more than 70 targets at multiple locations across central Syria". Aircraft from Jordan were also involved.
It said the operation "employed more than 100 precision munitions" targeting known IS infrastructure and weapons sites.
6) US Christmas Day strike in Nigeria
The Trump administration wrapped up its year of strikes on the African continent with Christmas Day attacks on Nigeria, with the military allegedly hitting terrorists targeting Christians in Western Africa.
Trump wrote on Truth Social:
“Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!
“I have previously warned these Terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was."
Source: Getty Images
7) Trump launches airstrikes on Venezuela
At least seven explosions and low-flying aircraft have been seen across Venezuela's capital, Caracas, on Saturday, January 3, 2026, after repeated threats from Trump against the country's leader, Maduro.
Low-flying aircraft, loud explosions and columns of smoke were seen and heard during the early hours of Saturday morning, January 3, 2026, with several locations targeted across the capital.
The strikes have led Venezuela to declare a "national emergency", with the country's government accusing Trump of "military aggression", Anadolu Anjasi noted.
Venezuelan President Maduro was subsequently captured and flown out of Venezuela.
As of the time of this report, Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are detained in New York City, as Trump disclosed that the US will 'run' Venezuela.
Per reports from Al Jazeera, Fox News, Washington Examiner, and CBC, the seven countries targeted by US strikes under Trump in 2025 are: Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Somalia, Syria, Nigeria, and Venezuela.
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UN helicopter shot in South Sudan
Legit.ng earlier reported that a South Sudanese general and dozens of soldiers were killed when a UN helicopter trying to evacuate them from the northern town of Nasir came under attack.
The UN crew was trying to airlift soldiers following heavy clashes in Nasir between national forces and the White Army militia, a group which President Salva Kiir's government has linked to forces loyal to his rival and first vice-president Riek Machar.
Source: Legit.ng
