South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham issued a blunt warning to Cuba’s communist government Sunday, declaring their “days are numbered” following the U.S. military capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a stunning overnight operation that has reshaped the geopolitical landscape of Latin America.

Graham, one of Washington’s most influential voices on foreign policy, made the remarks aboard Air Force One alongside President Donald Trump as Maduro was being transported to New York to face federal charges.

“Wait and see what happens with Cuba,” Graham told reporters during the flight. “Cuba is a communist dictatorship that has murdered priests and nuns, that has preyed upon its own people. Their days are numbered.”

The senior senator from South Carolina called the military operation, codenamed “Absolute Resolve,” an “amazing achievement” and praised the Trump administration for what he characterized as reviving the Monroe Doctrine — the 19th-century policy asserting U.S. opposition to European interference in the Western Hemisphere.

“There is a new sheriff in town,” Graham said. “He has put life into the Monroe Doctrine.”

In a post on X following the operation, Graham wrote that “an evil, narcoterrorist dictator has fallen, creating a path for freedom for the wonderful, highly intelligent, hard working people of Venezuela.”

The operation, launched around 2 a.m. local time Saturday, involved more than 150 aircraft from 20 bases across the Western Hemisphere. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured and flown to New York City, where Attorney General Pam Bondi announced federal indictments on charges related to narcoterrorism.

Venezuelan and Cuban officials reported more than 80 people were killed in the strikes, including 32 members of Cuban military and intelligence agencies who were protecting Maduro — a death toll that prompted two days of national mourning in Havana.

Graham specifically targeted Cuba as “the head of the snake” of authoritarianism in Latin America, a region where the island nation has maintained close ties with leftist governments for decades. Venezuela has supplied Cuba with subsidized oil since the Hugo Chávez era, receiving medical workers and security personnel in return.

The senator’s hawkish stance on Cuba reflects a broader shift in U.S. policy toward the region. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, himself the son of Cuban immigrants, offered his own warning to Havana over the weekend.

“If I lived in Havana, and I was in the government, I’d be concerned — at least a little bit,” Rubio said during a news conference.

The operation has drawn sharp international criticism. Brazil called the action an “unacceptable line” and warned it sets “an extremely dangerous precedent.” Colombia, Mexico, and Chile joined in denouncing the strikes, while U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres called it “a dangerous precedent.”

But Graham dismissed such concerns, arguing the capture serves American national security interests.

“It is in America’s interest to bring justice to Maduro, an illegitimate narcoterrorist dictator with American blood on his hands,” Graham wrote. “With Maduro’s capture, the drug caliphate is moving toward collapse. Free Cuba.”

Congressional leaders were not notified of the operation in advance. Trump administration officials said they were concerned about potential leaks that could have compromised the mission.

Graham noted that Maduro had been offered an opportunity to leave Venezuela peacefully before the strikes.

“Maduro has no one to blame but himself,” Graham said as Trump nodded in agreement. “Trump gave him a way out.”