Donald Trump announced the operation had taken place during a meeting of business leaders at the White House, telling reporters: "We've just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela, a large tanker, very large, largest one ever seized, actually."

Attorney General Pam Bondi shared a video of the operation, revealing the FBI, Homeland Security, US Coast Guard, and Department of Defence were involved.

She said the US forces "executed a seizure warrant for a crude oil tanker used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran".

Venezuela's government said the seizure "constitutes a blatant theft and an act of international piracy."

Ms Bondi said the seized vessel - believed to be a tanker named Skipper - has been sanctioned by the US for many years "due to its involvement in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organisations".

She did not name the vessel, what flag it sailed under, or exactly where the incident took place.

UK maritime risk management group Vanguard said that the tanker Skipper - which the US sanctioned for alleged involvement in Iranian oil trading under the name Adisa - was believed to be the target.

Trump offers ominous commentary

Without giving additional information on the operation, Mr Trump added during the White House meeting that "other things are happening".

Later, Mr Trump said the tanker was "seized for a very good reason", and when asked what will happen to the oil on board, he added: "Well, we keep it, I suppose."

How did we get here?

It marks another escalation from the US after months of pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

The White House accuses Mr Maduro of presiding over a narcotrafficking operation in Venezuela, which he denies.

The US has escalated military deployments against the Latin American country over the last few months, with the president suggesting American forces could launch a land attack.

Speaking to Politico on Tuesday, Mr Trump declined to comment on whether US troops would enter Venezuela, but warned Mr Maduro's "days are numbered".

On 2 September, the White House posted on X that it had conducted a strike against so-called "narcoterrorists" shipping fentanyl to the US, without providing direct evidence of the alleged crime.

Sky News has verified that in the past four months, 23 boats have been targeted in 22 strikes, killing 87 people.

Read more: Is this what the beginning of a war looks like?

Venezuela: 'It has always been about our oil'

The Maduro government describes America's actions as a grab for Venezuela's oil reserves, which are among the biggest in the world.

At a rally before a ruling-party-organised demonstration in Caracas on Wednesday, Mr Maduro did not address the seizure but told supporters Venezuela is "prepared to break the teeth of the North American empire if necessary".

Flanked by senior officials, he said that only the ruling party can "guarantee peace, stability, and the harmonious development of Venezuela, South America and the Caribbean".

His government did issue a statement, accusing the US of "piracy" and "imperial abuses".

Of the US campaign, it said: "It has always been about our natural resources, our oil, our energy, the resources that belong exclusively to the Venezuelan people."

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Is military confrontation possible?

Geoffrey Corn, director of the Centre for Military Law at Texas Tech University, told Sky's Mark Austin on The World that Mr Trump's remarks on land strikes "ostensibly" refer to drug cartel members.

Formerly a senior adviser to the US army on warfare law, Mr Corn added: "That could very easily provide the pretext for some confrontation between Venezuelan armed forces and US armed forces.

"And then that would open the door to a broader campaign to basically negate the power of the Venezuelan military."

The Ukrainian president said the 20 points which form Kyiv's revised proposal to Washington make up a "fundamental document" after reports that Ukraine formally sent the plan back to the US.

It comes ahead of talks between European leaders over the plan next week, following Mr Trump's comments calling them "weak" and criticising them for failing to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.

As it happened: Soldier who died in Ukraine pictured for first time

Meanwhile, tributes have come in for Lance Corporal George Hooley, a 28-year-old paratrooper who died on Tuesday while observing Ukrainian forces testing a new defensive capability away from the frontline.

The MoD said he joined the army in November 2015 and was regarded as "an exceptional soldier and an impressive junior leader with extensive operational experience".

In a statement released through the ministry, Lance Corporal Hooley's commanding officer said that the paratrooper had had an "incredibly bright" future in the Parachute Regiment.

"I have no doubt that he would have continued to perform at the very front of his peer-group over the coming years," they added.

"All members of The Parachute Regiment mourn his loss; however, our sorrow is nothing compared to that being felt by his family, our thoughts and prayers are with them at this incredibly difficult time."

'If you met George Hooley, you remembered it'

The company commander added: "If you met George Hooley, you remembered it." They said the paratrooper had a "rare gift" and was a "model of professionalism".

Britain's Defence Secretary John Healey said the Lance Corporal "served our country with distinction and professionalism" and was "an exceptional soldier who will be very deeply missed".

"The tributes that have been paid to him are a testament to his exceptional attitude and ability," Mr Healey said. "George's tragic death reminds us of the courage and commitment with which our outstanding armed forces serve every day to protect our nation."

Ukraine's revised proposal

Mr Zelenskyy said the revised peace proposal comprises 20 points, after some "obvious anti-Ukrainian points were removed".

The original US draft proposal - widely leaked to media last month - had 28 points, and was seen as favouring Russia.

Ukraine has since sought to change some key clauses, such as territorial issues and security guarantees, following talks with US and European negotiators.

In his nightly address on Wednesday, Mr Zelenskyy said his country is also drafting two additional documents: the first on US security guarantees and the second on the economy and reconstruction.

Mr Trump had accused his Ukrainian counterpart of not reading the original American-backed version of the peace proposal.

In an interview with Politico on Tuesday, the US president claimed Mr Zelenskyy was "using war" to avoid holding an election.

Mr Zelenskyy said in his Wednesday address that he discussed the possibility of holding elections with Ukraine's parliament, but that holding elections under martial law was not easy.

Read more: Trump's 28-point Ukraine peace plan in full

He also said Kyiv's peace delegation held a "productive conversation" with the US, and "discussed key issues for recovery, various mechanisms, and visions of reconstruction".

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron also spoke with the US president by phone on Wednesday.

In Ukraine, shelling at a hospital in the occupied southern Kherson region killed three medical workers and injured two others, according to a governor installed by Russia.

And on Wednesday morning, Ukraine said its energy infrastructure had been targeted by Russian drone strikes in the southern Odesa region.

Prosecutors said Sharaz Ali, 40, was "motivated by jealousy and fuelled by drink and drugs" when he set fire to Bryonie Gawith's home early on 21 August last year.

Jurors heard that Ali went to the home in Westbury Road, Bradford, aiming to "take revenge" on his ex, Antonia Gawith, who was staying there after ending their "abusive" seven-year relationship earlier that month.

Antonia Gawith managed to escape, but Bryonie Gawith, 29, and her children Denisty Birtle, nine, Oscar Birtle, five, and 22-month-old Aubree Birtle died in the blaze.

Ali told a jury he had no intention of harming others when the house went up in flames, saying: "I didn't want to hurt anyone but myself."

But after a trial at Doncaster Crown Court, he was found guilty of four counts of murder and attempting to murder Antonia Gawith.

Calum Sunderland, 26, who went with Ali to the house and kicked the door in for him, was found guilty of the manslaughter of Bryonie Gawith and her three children, but cleared of the more serious charges of murder.

He was also cleared of attempted murder, and an alternative count of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm, in relation to Antonia Gawith.

Mohammed Shabir, 45, who had also been due to go on trial, died of a heart attack in October after collapsing in prison.

Reading a statement on behalf of her family outside court, Antonia Gawith said her sister, nieces and nephew's futures have been "stolen".

"Even with justice, nothing will ever make this right," she said.

"Nothing will ever fill the silence where their laughter should be. Nothing will ever bring back our family.

"We will forever carry this brokenness, and yet we will hold on to them tightly in only ways we can now, through our memories, our photos and our precious videos. Those are all we have left now."

After the verdicts, the judge, Mr Justice Hilliard, thanked jurors and said the case had been "distressing beyond measure - three children and their mother murdered".

"I don't think anyone who heard Antonia's desperate cries for help will ever forget them," he said.

"These are truly dreadful crimes."

The judge also praised the "extraordinary bravery" of those who tried to save the children trapped in the house.

Ali and Sunderland, a convicted arsonist, were driven to the house by Shabir, stopping on the way to fill a seven-litre canister with petrol, the court heard.

Doorbell footage captured Ali telling Sunderland, who was carrying the petrol and a lighter, to "kick the door in", which he did before running back to the car.

Antonia Gawith said she saw an "angry" Ali run into the house and begin pouring petrol on her while shouting before setting himself and the house on fire.

'I couldn't save them'

In a video interview played to jurors, she sobbed as she told police how she "couldn't save" her sister, nieces and nephew, as she tried frantically to get back in the house through the back door.

"I was just screaming, trying to get back in the house and I couldn't get in. I couldn't save them," she said.

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West Yorkshire Police's Detective Chief Inspector Stacey Atkinson said: "Bryonie and her three children would still be alive today if it wasn't for the horrific and truly callous actions of Ali and Sunderland that day.

"They left a mum and her three children completely helpless whilst her sister and their auntie watched on in horror.

"Our thoughts and sympathies are with the family, who despite their immense strength of character now face the rest of their lives without them."

Senior Crown Prosecution Service prosecutor Amanda McInnes said Ali was a "selfish killer who had no regard for anyone but himself".

"He was motivated by jealousy and his actions have now needlessly robbed a family of their loved ones," she said.

"Both men played their role and caused the deaths of a young family who should still be with us today."

A total of eight prisoners are currently taking part in the action, thought to be the UK's biggest hunger strike since 1981, with two now on day 38 without food, according to the letter.

It says prisoner Kamran Ahmed has been on hunger strike for 31 days, having spent a year on remand awaiting trial, and that he has been taken to hospital twice since collapsing in his cell on November 21. Sky News understands his latest admission was on Monday evening.

His sister Shahmina Alam told Sky News her family fears "the worst call".

"I don't sleep through the night because I'm constantly anticipating a call - the worst call you can get," she said, holding back tears. "I feel like that's the only point when we're going to receive any information about how he's doing. I'm having palpitations all the time."

Asked what the worst call is, Shahmina says: "That he hasn't made it."

Shahmima told Sky News that Kamran, 28, was an emergency on-call mechanic before his arrest in November 2024. She added that his lengthy imprisonment is taking a toll on their parents.

She said: "I found my dad with a puffy face for the last two mornings because he's been crying. My mum seems lost. A lot of us are just broken apart. We're shattered, physically and mentally. There's an element of constantly being on edge because we don't know what's happening to him.

"Everyone's immediate reaction when they hear a family member is in hospital is to go and see them, speak to them, see how they're doing and give them comfort, and we've been restricted from that."

The letter from law firm Imran Khan & Partners criticises prison conditions and warns of a "real and increasingly likely potential that young British citizens will die in prison, having never been convicted of an offence".

It describes Qesser Zuhrah, on day 38 of her strike, as having a pulse rate above 100 beats per minute despite next to no physical activity. Amy Gardiner-Gibson, also on day 38, is described as experiencing twitching in her muscles and being offered a wheelchair due to her inability to walk.

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Qesser Zuhrah faces the same charges as Kamran, for the same alleged incident.

Amy Gardiner-Gibson is alleged to have participated in a break-in at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire in June this year. She is charged with conspiracy to commit criminal damage, and conspiracy to enter a prohibited place knowingly for a purpose prejudicial to the safety or interests of the UK.

The letter says Kamran Ahmed has been in hospital repeatedly with dangerous ketone levels after collapsing on 21 November and that he suffers with dizziness, shallow breath and a tightness in his chest. Mr Ahmed has lost over 10 kilograms in weight, it adds.

"He collapsed in his cell," Shamima told Sky News. "He is not sure how long he passed out for, but he hit his back and head on the metal frame of his bed."

"When he was hospitalised he was allowed one call. He sounded really emotional on the phone but it seemed like he wasn't able to talk about anything else or had been instructed not to talk about anything else. Since then, we haven't heard from him and haven't been able to get any updates on him."

Criticising the lack of engagement from the government, Labour MP John McDonnell raised a point of order in the House of Commons on Wednesday saying that the justice secretary had failed to respond to previous letters on the matter.

He said: "This is a matter of urgency and I would've expected at least the courtesy of some response even if he's not willing to meet us." Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle responded: "It is totally unacceptable."

Palestine Action told Sky News that all eight prisoners on hunger strike are accused of offences occurring before the group was proscribed and will have been in prison for well over a year before they are tried. A judicial review challenge to the proscription has concluded with judges reserving their decision until a later date.

MP and co-founder of Your Party, Jeremy Corbyn, told Sky News that Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy rejected his invitation to meet to resolve the matter by saying "considering the ongoing proceedings, it would not be appropriate for me to meet with you to discuss the situation." The response forwarded to Sky News by Mr Corbyn also assures him "the safety of those who live and work in our prisons remains our paramount concern".

Sky News has contacted the Ministry of Justice for comment.

Machado isn't the first Nobel Laureate unable to attend, but her journey to Oslo was unprecedented in the history of the prestigious prize.

Her departure from Venezuela, carried out amid heavy secrecy and probably with covert US help, was fraught with risk, but on Wednesday she was en route to Norway, where she is expected to land late in the evening.

Reports suggested she first travelled by boat to the Caribbean island of Curaçao before getting a private flight via the US. Two US F-16 jets were tracked in the skies close to Curaçao late Tuesday night.

In a phone call with members of the Nobel Institute, released just after she took off, Machado said she was "very sad" not to make it in person but "as soon as I arrive, I will be able to embrace all my family and children."

In her absence, her daughter Ana Corina Sosa Machado, whom she hasn't seen for almost two years, collected the award in Oslo City Hall and delivered the speech her mother wrote.

She spoke about 2,500 people who had been "kidnapped, disappeared or tortured" under Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro's government and slammed the corruption that has brought Venezuela, once one of the world's richest nations, to its knees.

"This prize carries profound meaning; it reminds the world that democracy is essential to peace.

"More than anything, what we Venezuelans can offer the world is the lesson forged through this long and difficult journey - that to have democracy, we must be willing to fight for freedom."

To a standing ovation from an audience that included several South American leaders, Machado thanked the people of Norway and sent a message to her fellow countrymen and women, many of whom had travelled to Oslo from their homes outside Venezuela.

"Venezuela will breathe again," her daughter read.

"We will open prison doors and watch thousands who were unjustly detained step into the warm sun, embraced at last by those who never stopped fighting for them.

"We will see our grandmothers settle children on their laps to tell them stories not of distant forefathers but of their own parents' courage.

"We will hug again. Fall in love again. Hear our streets fill with laughter and music. All the simple joys the world takes for granted will be ours."

Ms Machado is the leader of a grassroots political movement fighting for democracy in Venezuela.

She was banned by Nicolas Maduro from running for election, so she rallied a campaign behind a little-known veteran diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez.

She organised and trained more than a million volunteers to monitor elections in 2024 and collect data.

Those results, smuggled out of the country, were verified by independent experts and confirmed a landslide win for Gonzalez and Machado's party.

Maduro refused to recognise the result and detained thousands of opponents.

More on US-Venezuela crisis:
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Maduro ready for land strikes

Protests have failed to dislodge him, although US president Donald Trump has stationed a massive naval force off the coast and has warned the Venezuelan leader his "days are numbered".

Mr Trump had lobbied publicly to win this year's Nobel Prize himself, but rang Machado to congratulate her. Some members of Trump's administration had threatened the Nobel committee if he didn't win.

Edmundo Gonzalez, who was at the ceremony in Oslo, has since gone into exile in Spain, but Machado has remained in Venezuela, spending most of her time in hiding.

Her mother, sister and children have also travelled to Oslo to be reunited with her.

The decision to travel to Norway is fraught with risk.

Having successfully left the country, she faces a dangerous journey home again.