The operation relied on intelligence obtained by agencies such as the CIA, including the alleged infiltration of an agent into the Chavista government.
In the early hours of January 3, United States special forces executed a military operation lightning strike called Operation Absolute Resolve to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The attack began shortly after two in the morning in Caracas and combined selective bombings against military installations with a direct raid by elite commandos.
The operation was prepared for months and refined in the previous four days. A supermoon was used to improve nighttime visibility and was carried out under strict aerial and intelligence coordination. President Donald Trump gave the final order at 10:46 PM (Washington time) and followed developments in real time from Mar-a-Lago.
Units from the Delta Force and the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Night Stalkers) participated, supported by more than 150 aircraft—including F-22, F-35 and F-18 fighters, B-1 bombers, drones and helicopters—that took off from about 20 bases and aircraft carriers in the Western Hemisphere. US forces neutralized Venezuelan air defense systems and attacked key targets such as the La Carlota air base and the Fuerte Tiuna military complex to prevent an effective response.
The operation relied on intelligence obtained by agencies such as the CIA, the NSA and the NGA, including the alleged infiltration of an agent into the Chavista government environment. During the raid, the power supply to Caracas was cut off to facilitate the assault in the dark. The commandos broke into a highly protected location, forced open armored doors and captured Maduro and his wife while they slept.
After the extraction, both were transferred by helicopter to a US aircraft carrier and later sent to New York to be tried. The operation left several dead and injured among the Venezuelan population, according to regime authorities who did not give exact figures, and some injured US soldiers, in addition to a damaged helicopter.
The US troops arrived at the complex where Nicolás Maduro was located at 2:01 am, local time in Caracas, after a coordinated aerial insertion. The arresting troops descended quickly, isolated the area and advanced with “speed, precision and discipline” to secure the perimeter and capture the objectives, said the general of the US joint force, Dan “Razin” Caine.
As Trump also expanded at his press conference offered in Florida this morning, Maduro was in a “highly protected” location that “was like a fortress.” When the officers showed up, he tried to hide in a safe place. “He got to the door, but he couldn’t close it,” explained the American president.
The mission was planned with intensive intelligence support. Maduro suspected that an operation against him was imminent and had increased his security, reinforcing it with Cuban bodyguards, constantly changing locations and discarding phones to avoid tracking.
Military analysts called the raid a highly sophisticated special forces operation, backed by a robust air package of fixed and rotary wing aircraft, in addition to the US naval presence in the region.
After the success of the operation, Donald Trump shared the news around 4:20 AM through social networks.
