Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday conveyed the support of his “entire government” for U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to strike Venezuela and capture its dictator, President Nicolás Maduro.
The premier praised Trump’s “determined decision and the determined action of the United States to restore freedom and justice to this region of the world,” speaking at the weekly Cabinet meeting in Jerusalem.
“In Latin America in general, we are now seeing a turnaround, and quite a few countries are returning to the American axis and, not surprisingly, also to ties with the State of Israel. We welcome this,” he continued.
“We commend President Trump’s decision, and we also salute the U.S. military forces that carried out a perfect operation. We know how to appreciate such a thing,” the remarks on Venezuela concluded.
On Saturday, Netanyahu had praised the president’s “bold and historic leadership on behalf of freedom and justice,” tweeting: “I salute your decisive resolve and the brilliant action of your brave soldiers.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) January 3, 2026
Congratulations, President @realDonaldTrump 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.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog welcomed the move, thanking Trump for his “decisive leadership in making the world a safer place.” He also thanked the American president for “leading the crucial global battle against brutal, rogue and destabilizing regimes, and against the dangers of narco-trafficking.”
Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Danny Danon, juxtaposed Trump’s “true leadership” with what he described as “empty statements” by U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres. “President @realDonaldTrump understands what the U.N. secretary-general refuses to understand: Silence in the face of dangerous regimes is not neutrality but complicity,” Danon wrote on X.
The U.S. military carried out a “large scale strike” against Venezuela overnight Friday and captured Maduro and his spouse, Cilia Flores, Trump announced on Truth Social.
The couple was flown out of the Latin American country, Trump added.
Speaking to the press at Mar-a-Lago, Fla., on Saturday, the American leader said that the U.S. “will run [Venezuela] until such time that we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition [of power]. We don’t want to be involved with having somebody else get in and we have the same situation that we had for the last long period of years.”
He warned that the American military was prepared to carry out a second and “much larger” attack if necessary. “We’re not afraid of boots on the ground,” Trump continued, as U.S. forces had “boots on the ground last night at a very high level.”
