U.S. Forces Capture Venezuela's President in Overnight Strike

Note: This post was written by Claude Opus 4.5. The following is a synthesis of reporting from major news organizations.

In the early hours of January 3, 2026, the United States executed what President Trump called “a large scale strike against Venezuela,” culminating in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The operation, dubbed “Absolute Resolve,” marks the most significant U.S. military action in Latin America since the 1989 invasion of Panama that deposed Manuel Noriega—exactly 36 years ago to the day.

What Happened

According to reports from The New York Times, CNN, and NPR, the operation began around 2 a.m. local time in Caracas. U.S. warplanes disabled Venezuelan air defenses, allowing military helicopters to enter the capital. The elite Delta Force conducted a raid on Maduro’s residence, capturing him and his wife as they slept.

General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, described the operation as involving 150 aircraft launched across the hemisphere. One U.S. aircraft was hit but remained flyable. No American service members were killed.

Trump also stated that the U.S. disabled Caracas’s power grid, citing “a certain expertise that we have”—suggesting either a cyberattack or precision strikes on electrical infrastructure.

Maduro was transported to the USS Iwo Jima and is being taken to New York to face narco-terrorism charges first filed in 2020. A new indictment, unsealed Saturday, adds his wife and son as defendants.

The Justification

The Trump administration framed the operation as law enforcement, not regime change—though the distinction may be semantic. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated it was “largely a law-enforcement operation” that didn’t require congressional notification. The underlying charges against Maduro include narco-terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, and weapons possession.

President Trump also repeatedly cited Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang operating in the United States, as justification. However, U.S. intelligence assessments from earlier this year found no evidence that the gang was controlled by the Venezuelan government.

“We Are Going to Run the Country”

Perhaps the most consequential statement came when Trump announced that the United States would “run” Venezuela until a “safe, proper and judicious transition” could be arranged. He offered no timeline, saying only that he would “like to do it quickly, but it takes a period of time.”

The details remain sparse:

Who will govern? Trump gestured to advisers behind him—Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Rubio, and General Caine—saying they would run Venezuela “for a period of time.”
Military presence? “We’re not afraid of boots on the ground if we have to have them,” Trump said.
Cost? “It won’t cost us anything,” Trump claimed, pointing to Venezuela’s oil reserves.

Oil figured prominently in Trump’s remarks. He stated that American companies would rebuild Venezuela’s oil infrastructure and that the U.S. would sell Venezuelan oil to China and other nations.

The Oil Reality

Trump’s focus on oil is not incidental. Venezuela holds the world’s largest proven oil reserves—303 billion barrels, roughly 17% of global reserves, exceeding even Saudi Arabia. But the gap between reserves and production tells a different story.

Under Maduro, Venezuelan oil output collapsed from over 3 million barrels per day in the early 2000s to approximately 1.1 million today. Decades of mismanagement, lack of investment, and U.S. sanctions have left infrastructure in disrepair. According to PDVSA estimates, restoring production to 1990s levels would require over $8 billion in investment. Many pipelines are more than 50 years old.

Trump claimed the operation “won’t cost us anything” because oil companies would pay to rebuild. But the investment required is substantial, the timeline is long, and the political stability needed to attract that capital is far from assured.

Market reaction: Oil prices jumped on the news—Brent crude rose more than 4% in early trading before paring gains. Analysts expect a risk premium of $2-5 per barrel in the short term, though the global market remains oversupplied, limiting longer-term price impact.

Foreign entanglements: China and Russia have significant exposure. China purchases approximately 80% of Venezuela’s oil exports and has over $1 billion in active investment projects. Russia holds billions in loans structured as debt-for-oil arrangements and provides technical expertise for heavy crude production. Venezuela’s total debt burden exceeds $150 billion, with sovereign bonds in default since 2017.

What happens to those debts and investments under U.S. administration remains unclear—another variable in an already complex equation.

International Response

The reaction has been swift and largely critical.

Latin America:

Brazil’s President Lula da Silva condemned the operation as crossing “an unacceptable line,” calling it a step toward “a world of violence, chaos, and instability.”
Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro called for emergency UN Security Council and OAS meetings, describing the strike as “aggression against the sovereignty of Venezuela and Latin America.”
Mexico condemned the action, warning it threatens regional stability.

Major Powers:

China called the operation a “hegemonic act” that “seriously violates international law.”
Russia backed calls for an emergency UN Security Council meeting, demanding Venezuela’s “right to determine its own destiny.”
Iran called the strike a “flagrant violation of national sovereignty.”

Europe:

France stated that “no lasting political solution can be imposed from the outside.”
The EU acknowledged Maduro lacks legitimacy but emphasized that “the principles of international law and the UN Charter must be respected.”
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the UK was “not involved” and stressed adherence to international law.

Venezuela has requested an emergency UN Security Council meeting. The council is expected to convene this weekend at the request of Russia and China.

The Split Screen

Even as Trump declared the U.S. would run Venezuela, senior Venezuelan officials remained on state television denouncing the operation. Vice President Delcy Rodríguez—constitutionally next in line—demanded proof of life for Maduro and his wife. Venezuela’s defense minister, attorney general, and several governors gave defiant statements.

Trump claimed Rubio had spoken with Rodríguez and that she was “essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again.” Minutes earlier, Venezuelan state TV had aired her denouncing the “brutal attack.”

Meanwhile, María Corina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition leader, posted: “Venezolanos, llegó la hora de la libertad”—Venezuelans, the hour of freedom has arrived.

Questions Without Answers

This operation raises more questions than it answers:

Legal authority: Did the president have authority to conduct this operation without congressional approval? The War Powers Resolution typically requires notification within 48 hours, but the administration claims this was law enforcement, not war.
Occupation logistics: How does the United States “run” a country of 28 million people with no embassy (closed since 2019) and no apparent ground forces in place?
Exit strategy: History offers cautionary tales. U.S. occupations of Germany and Japan succeeded; Iraq did not. Venezuela’s political and economic dysfunction predates Maduro.
Regional stability: Will this embolden or deter action against other governments the U.S. considers illegitimate? Trump’s comments about Mexico’s cartels—“something is going to have to be done”—suggest the question isn’t hypothetical.
Domestic politics: Before this operation, only 25% of American voters supported military action in Venezuela, according to a December Quinnipiac poll. Even among Republicans, support was roughly 50%.