How was the capture of Nicolás Maduro? Who governs the country? Who has Donald Trump’s administration spoken to after the attacks in Caracas? Some questions have been resolved with the statements of the president of the United States, after the bombing of several points in Caracas. Vice President Delcy Rodríguez maintains that Maduro “is the only president” of Venezuela
«Operation Absolute Resolution». This is how Donald Trump’s administration named the military operation that led to the capture in Caracas, early this Saturday, January 3, of Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores.
The attacks began around 2:00 am on Saturday against specific locations in the city: Fuerte Tiuna, the Cajigal observatory and the La Carlota air base. In addition, attacks were confirmed at the La Guaira naval school, the Higuerote airport (Miranda state) and the Sucre base (Aragua state).
How was the attack?
The chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Caine, said that this operation was “the culmination of months of planning and rehearsals.”
He explained that the extraction “involved the takeoff of more than 150 aircraft,” including F-35, F-22 or F-18 fighters, E-2 early warning aircraft or B-1 strategic bombers, with the objective of “introducing an interdiction force in the center of Caracas, maintaining the tactical surprise factor.”
The president of the Joint Chiefs of Staff indicated that an elite unit arrived at the complex where Maduro was at 2:01 am on Saturday and “moved with speed, precision and discipline towards its objective, isolating the area to guarantee the security of the ground force while apprehending” the Chavista leader.
While the capture was achieved, Caine noted, “the Joint Air Component began to dismantle and deactivate the air defense systems in Venezuela, using weapons to guarantee the safe passage of helicopters to the target area.”
In turn, he confirmed what Trump had said hours before, who assured that a US helicopter was hit during the operation and that a couple of soldiers were also injured, although he assured that no one died and that the aircraft managed to return to its base successfully.
On the Venezuelan side, there is unofficial information about several wounded and dead people who were admitted to the Dr. Carlos Arvelo military hospital, the Fuerte Tiuna hospital and the Ana Francisca Pérez de León hospital.
Where is Maduro?
Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been “captured” and were transferred by helicopter to USS Iwo Jimaone of the ships deployed in the Caribbean, according to Trump. The plane carrying the couple was met at the airport at Stewart International Airport, where dozens of agents from different federal agencies, such as the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), entered the plane. He was taken down handcuffed and wearing gray clothes.
Maduro is expected to first be transferred to the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC), a federal prison located in the district of Brooklyn, according to the US network. cnn.
They are expected to be presented on Monday in the Southern District of New York, where charges of four crimes related to drug trafficking and terrorism have already been filed, said US Attorney General Pamela Bondi.
Nicolas Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima. pic.twitter.com/omF2UpDJhA
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 3, 2026
Trump and the management of Venezuela
President Donald Trump has said that the US will “take control” of Venezuela until it considers that a “safe, adequate and sensible transition” is guaranteed. “We don’t want anyone else to take power… So we are going to govern the country until we can carry out a safe, adequate and sensible transition,” he said without ever mentioning the Venezuelan opposition.
Expressly asked by journalists about the role that the opposition leader, María Corina Machado, will play, Trump has expressed his doubts about her ability to take the reins of the country. “He doesn’t have the support [suficiente] within the country, he does not have respect within the country.
In another part of his speech, the Republican said that Vice President Delcy Rodríguez has agreed to collaborate with the United States. She said that she had spoken with the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, and that “she has made herself available.”
“Are you going to work with the VP of Venezuela?”
Trump: “She was just sworn in. But she was picked up by Maduro. So Marco is working on that directly. Just had a conversation with her, and she is essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to Make Venezuela Great Again.” pic.twitter.com/XfKcwXQckP
— Dori Toribio (@DoriToribio) January 3, 2026
After the press conference, he New York Post Asked if American troops will be on the ground helping to govern the country, Trump responded: “No, if Maduro’s vice president does what we want, we won’t have to.”
“We are prepared,” Trump added. “We have a second wave much larger than the first.”
How did the Chavista government respond?
Chavismo called to close ranks and protest the actions of the United States. In small rallies in the center of Caracas, they protested the US action and asked for a visa certificate from Maduro.
For her part, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez assured on national television that “the only legitimate president of Venezuela is Nicolás Maduro,” and assured that the country “will never be a colony of any nation.”
Rodríguez indicated that they are willing to dialogue with the United States after the release of Maduro, and reported on the delivery of the “State of Foreign Commotion” decree to the TSJ so that it can be approved by the Constitutional Chamber and that “everything provided for in it is executed”, without delving into details about what the document establishes.
What has the opposition said?
Opposition leader María Corina Machado asserted in a statement that “the time of freedom has arrived” for Venezuela, so he asked citizens to be ready to activate plans that, he said, will be informed by social networks.
Machado also indicated that Maduro will answer for his “atrocious” crimes and that the United States has “kept its promise to uphold the law” in the face of Chavismo’s refusal to “accept a negotiated solution.” “We are prepared to assert our mandate and take power,” he said.
Edmundo González responded to Machado’s statement with a brief message: «Venezuelans, these are decisive hours, know that we are ready for the great operation of the reconstruction of our nation«.
International reactions
Nicolás Maduro’s international allies such as Russia, China, Cuba and Iran were the first to reject the attacks in Caracas, while accusing the United States of violating international law.
The Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, express that “these events constitute a dangerous precedent,” while calling on all actors involved in Venezuela to begin an inclusive dialogue that, he said, “must guarantee full respect for human rights and the rule of law.”
The UN Security Council will meet urgently next Monday. Colombia promoted the convening of the UN Security Council meeting, a proposal that was officially supported by Russia and China.
The head of diplomacy of the European Union, Kaja Kallas, said that she spoke with the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, and the EU ambassador in Caracas to follow “the situation in Venezuela closely,” and reiterated the lack of recognition of Maduro as “president.”
«The EU has repeatedly declared that Maduro lacks legitimacy and has defended a peaceful transition. In all circumstances, the principles of international law and the Charter of the United Nations must be respected. We call for moderation,” said Kallas.
The countries of Latin America and the Caribbean had mixed reactions: Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Mexico and Uruguay condemned the attacks, although they called for de-escalation of the actions through negotiation.
Panama called for a democratic transition: “We urge the de facto authorities that still survive in Venezuela to rectify their behavior and act in accordance with the principle of legality and legitimacy.”
On the other hand, the Argentine president Javier Milei celebrated the capture. The Ministry of National Security of that country announced immigration restrictions on officials linked to the Maduro administration.
*Journalism in Venezuela is carried out in a hostile environment for the press with dozens of legal instruments in place to punish the word, especially the laws “against hate”, “against fascism” and “against the blockade.” This content was written taking into consideration the threats and limits that, consequently, have been imposed on the dissemination of information from within the country.
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