In a dramatic escalation of tensions, United States forces launched a surprise military operation in the early hours of Saturday, 3 January 2026, resulting in the capture and deposition of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
The Dawn Raid on Caracas
The operation, months in the planning and executed in just two and a half hours, began around 2am local time with loud explosions and aircraft noise reported across the Venezuelan capital. US military strikes targeted key locations, including Fuerte Tiuna, the country's largest military complex, which was seen engulfed in flames. Further damage was reported at the Port of La Guaira and residential areas on the outskirts of Caracas, such as Catia La Mar.
Former US President Donald Trump, who monitored the operation from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida alongside CIA director John Ratcliffe and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, later claimed the US was now "in charge" of Venezuela and its significant oil supplies. He posted a photograph on Truth Social purportedly showing Maduro aboard the USS Iwo Jima.
Aftermath and International Fallout
The capture sparked immediate and divergent reactions globally. In Miami and Santiago, Chile, crowds of Venezuelan expatriates celebrated the ouster of Maduro. Conversely, large-scale protests condemning the US intervention erupted in cities worldwide, including outside the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, where Maduro and Flores are being held, and in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where US flags were burned.
Back in Venezuela, interim President Delcy Rodriguez, pictured addressing ministers on 4 January, insisted that no foreign power was governing the country, directly contradicting Trump's assertion. Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation worsened, with thousands of Venezuelans fleeing across the border into Colombia, prompting the Colombian president to reinforce the frontier with soldiers.
Legal Charges and Political Repercussions
The detained Venezuelan leader and his wife are facing federal charges in the United States related to drug trafficking and alleged collaboration with gangs designated as terrorist organisations. The US Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefed congressional leaders on the unprecedented action.
International allies of Venezuela voiced strong opposition. The Cuban President, Miguel Díaz-Canel, attended a solidarity rally in Havana on 3 January. The operation has plunged Venezuela into a fresh crisis, marked by internal defiance, external condemnation, and an uncertain political future, all under the shadow of continued US military presence evidenced by F-35 fighter jets stationed in Puerto Rico.
