The United States military conducted a large scale strike on Venezuela on January 3, 2026, capturing President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores in an operation that has drawn both condemnation and praise from governments worldwide.
The operation, codenamed “Absolute Resolve,” began before 2:00 a.m. local time when more than 150 United States Armed Forces aircraft took off from 20 airbases to conduct airstrikes across northern Venezuela and support helicopters carrying an apprehension force that landed in Caracas. The youngest crew member was 20 years old and the oldest was 49, according to General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Maduro and Flores were flown to the USS Iwo Jima aircraft carrier and then transported to New York City, where they are expected to appear in Manhattan federal court on January 5 to face narcoterrorism, drug trafficking, and weapons charges. US Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that Maduro and Flores have been indicted in the Southern District of New York on charges including narcoterrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.
According to Venezuelan and Cuban officials, more than 80 people were killed in the attack, including 32 Cuban military and intelligence members. Venezuelan defense minister Vladimir Padrino López said US combat helicopters fired rockets and missiles in urban areas, with strikes hitting a three story civilian apartment complex in Catia La Mar, killing one person, seriously injuring another, and destroying the exterior wall.
Venezuela’s Supreme Court ordered Vice President Delcy Rodríguez to assume the powers and duties of acting president after the United States removed Maduro. Rodríguez demanded the immediate release of Maduro and his wife, stating that Venezuela’s territorial integrity was savagely attacked by the US operation.
President Donald Trump approved the strike before Christmas after months of planning, including troops training using a model of Maduro’s compound. A CIA source operating within the Venezuelan government assisted the United States with tracking Maduro’s location and movements ahead of his capture. In a private phone call approximately one week before the operation, Trump told Maduro he had to surrender.
At a news conference on Saturday at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, Trump praised the operation as one of the most stunning, effective and powerful displays of American military might and competence in American history. Trump stated that the United States would run Venezuela until a safe, proper and judicious transition could take place.
The operation’s legality has been questioned by international law experts, United Nations officials, and governments worldwide. The Trump administration justified the operation as a law enforcement action with military support that the President has inherent constitutional authority to undertake. However, international law experts and US officials have questioned whether such an action violates international norms regarding state sovereignty.
Russia quickly condemned the US seizure, calling the pretexts cited to justify the actions unfounded. Russian officials gave political support and solidarity to Maduro following the capture. The Hugo Chavez International Foundation for Peace, Friendship and Solidarity, along with other pro-Venezuela groups, characterized the operation as kidnapping and called for immediate release of Maduro and his wife.
Several Democratic members of Congress accused Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth of lying during a Senate briefing in December when they stated the goal was not regime change. Senator Andy Kim of New Jersey wrote that Rubio and Hegseth looked every Senator in the eye a few weeks ago and said this was not about regime change, but they blatantly lied to Congress.
The operation began months earlier with intelligence gathering by a CIA team that entered Venezuela as early as August, according to people with knowledge of the matter. In September, the United States Southern Command began conducting military strikes on vessels in the Caribbean Sea, alleging some were trafficking drugs on behalf of Venezuela.
In December 2025, this escalated to include seizures of oil tankers carrying Venezuelan crude, with the Coast Guard’s Deployable Specialized Forces conducting tactical boardings in coordination with Department of Defense assets. By late December, an armada of US warships was positioned off Venezuela’s shores, including the USS Gerald R. Ford, America’s most advanced aircraft carrier.
In November 2025, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado promised to open Venezuela’s oil and gas reserves during a business meeting in Miami attended by Trump. Trump has repeatedly referenced Venezuela’s vast oil reserves, stating his intention to gain access to them while rebuilding the country.
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a notice prohibiting US aircraft from operating within Venezuelan airspace on January 3, citing ongoing military activity. The US Embassy in Caracas issued a shelter in place order from its relocated operations in Colombia. Much of Caribbean airspace was closed, with hundreds of flights from Caribbean airports canceled or delayed before restrictions expired at midnight Eastern Time on January 4.
Maduro was declared the winner of Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election by the National Electoral Council, though opposition leaders and international observers disputed the results. Critics have accused Maduro of authoritarian rule since succeeding Hugo Chávez as president in 2013.
Ryan C. Berg of the Center for Strategic and International Studies stated that Trump has proven capable of muscular foreign policy that will utilize US power and military force to reshape geographies in US interests. The operation appears to have been an overwhelming success on the tactical level, according to security analysts.
However, questions remain about whether the Chavista regime can survive the decapitation of its leadership, with Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López still in Venezuela. Former US ambassador to Venezuela Charles Shapiro told CNN that it is hard to tell whether Venezuelans who voted for the opposition in 2024 were genuine opposition supporters or voters unhappy with the country’s collapsed economy.
The operation was the riskiest and most high profile military operation sanctioned by Washington since the US Navy SEAL team killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in 2011.
