{"id":88646,"date":"2026-01-04T09:22:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-04T09:22:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/88646\/"},"modified":"2026-01-04T09:22:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-04T09:22:18","slug":"how-us-forces-captured-venezuelas-maduro-in-extraordinary-raid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/88646\/","title":{"rendered":"How US forces captured Venezuela\u2019s Maduro in ‘extraordinary’ raid"},"content":{"rendered":"

The U.S. operation to\u00a0capture Venezuelan strongman Nicol\u00e1s Maduro<\/a>\u00a0was\u00a0a months-in-the-making mission rehearsed using replicas of Maduro\u2019s fortified\u00a0compound, showcasing military might, ingenuity \u2014 and good timing.<\/p>\n

The Venezuelan dictator was stopped just steps from the steel doors of his fortified lair as elite Army Delta Force commandos closed in, President Trump said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was trying to get into a safe place \u2026 the safe place\u2019s all steel, and he wasn\u2019t able to make it to the door because our guys were so fast,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n

The US military deployed more than 150 aircraft across the hemisphere as part of Operation Absolute Resolve, an overnight mission that ended with Nicol\u00e1s Maduro in US custody. via REUTERS<\/p>\n

The commandos closed in \u201cin a matter of seconds,\u201d Trump said on Fox News.<\/p>\n

\u201cI watched it literally like I was watching a television show \u2014 it was an amazing thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Delta Force commandos were flown in by the Army\u2019s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment \u2014 known as the Night Stalkers \u2014 as helicopters pushed toward the compound under fire.<\/p>\n

The Night Stalkers flew modified MH-60 and MH-47 helicopters, executing low-level nighttime insertions as U.S. aircraft first dismantled Venezuela\u2019s air defenses to clear the path into Caracas.<\/p>\n

Venezuela\u2019s President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores \u201cgave up\u201d without a firefight and were taken into custody by the Department of Justice during the early-morning raid, officials said. REUTERS<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople were wondering, do we get them by surprise?\u201d Trump added. \u201cSort of surprised, but they were waiting for something. It was a lot of opposition. There was a lot of gunfire.\u201d<\/p>\n

At a late morning press conference at Mar-a-Lago General, Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said months of intelligence gathering produced critical details about Maduro, enabling US forces to find him \u201cand understand how he moved, where he lived, where he traveled, what he ate, what he wore, what were his pets.\u201d<\/p>\n

Follow The Post\u2019s live coverage of US strikes on Venezuela and the capture of Nicol\u00e1s Maduro<\/a><\/p>\n

The C.I.A. collected intelligence from a fleet of stealth drones and a human source who could get close to Mr. Maduro and monitor his movements, according to people briefed on the matter.<\/p>\n

The intelligence campaign began as early as August, combining human sources with aerial surveillance, while the mission itself involved months of \u201cpinpoint\u201d planning and rehearsal.<\/p>\n

Ahead of the operation, US forces trained on a mock-up of Maduro\u2019s compound. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey actually built a house which was identical to the one they went into with all the safes and all the steel all over the place,\u201d Trump told \u201cFox & Friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

American forces dismantled Venezuelan air defenses before helicopters pushed into Caracas to extract Maduro and his wife, according to US military officials. Validated User Content<\/p>\n

Trump said the raid on Caracas \u2014 dubbed Operation Absolute Resolve \u2014 was ordered at 10:46 p.m. Friday after weather briefly cleared, setting off a tightly choreographed mission\u00a0that unfolded over roughly two hours and 20 minutes.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt my direction, the United States Armed Forces conducted an extraordinary military operation in the capital of Venezuela,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOverwhelming American military power, air, land and sea, was used to launch a spectacular assault, and it was an assault like people have not seen since World War II,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

US helicopters came under fire during the extraction phase of the mission but did not encounter any American fatalities, military leaders said. AP<\/p>\n

Trump later said Maduro was holed up inside a \u201cfortress\u201d-like house with steel doors and a reinforced safe space, but never made it inside.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was trying to get into it, but he got bum rushed so fast that he didn\u2019t get into that area,\u201d Trump said, adding U.S. forces were prepared with blowtorches to cut through the steel if needed.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the latest on Nicol\u00e1s Maduro\u2019s capture:<\/p>\n

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said aircraft\u00a0began launching<\/a>\u00a0soon after the go-ahead from about 20 bases and Navy ships, with Marines, the Navy, the Air Force and the Air National Guard providing cover as B-1 bombers loomed overhead.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the course of the night, aircraft began launching from 20 different bases on land and sea,\u201d Caine said. \u201cIn total, more than 150 aircraft \u2014 bombers, fighters, intelligence, surveillance and rotary-wing \u2014 were in the air.\u201d<\/p>\n

Image posted on President Donald Trump\u2019s Truth Social account on January 3, 2026, shows, John Ratcliffe, Donald Trump and Marco Rubio watching Maduro\u2019s capture unfold. Donald Trump\/ Truth Social<\/p>\n

Just after 1:01 a.m., U.S. forces arrived at Maduro\u2019s compound at the Fort Tiuna military complex in Caracas, Caine said, describing how the apprehension force \u201cmoved with speed, precision and discipline.\u201d<\/p>\n

As helicopters provided air support, they came under fire, with one aircraft hit but remaining flyable, Caine said.<\/p>\n

Explosions began rocking Caracas shortly before 2 a.m., according to AFP correspondents on the ground, as U.S. aircraft returned fire.<\/p>\n

This satellite image provided by Vantor shows Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela on Jan. 1, 2026. AP<\/p>\n

\u201cThey knew we were coming,\u201d Trump said, pointing to months of escalating pressure. \u201cBut they were completely overwhelmed and very quickly incapacitated.\u201d<\/p>\n

Caine said U.S. warplanes dismantled Venezuelan air defenses to clear the way into the capital, while power was cut to parts of the city in what officials described as a cyber operation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe lights of Caracas were largely turned off due to a certain expertise that we have,\u201d Trump said. \u201cIt was dark, it was deadly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Supporters of Nicolas Maduro burn a United States flag during a gathering near Miraflores palace after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in the early hours on January 03, 2026 in Caracas, Venezuela. Getty Images<\/p>\n

By 3:29 a.m., helicopters were reporting back over water as the force withdrew.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were multiple self-defense engagements as the force began to withdraw out of Venezuela,\u201d Caine said.<\/p>\n

By the end of the roughly two-hour mission,\u00a0Maduro<\/a>\u00a0and his wife, Cilia Flores, \u201cgave up\u201d and were \u201ctaken into custody by the Department of Justice,\u201d Caine said.<\/p>\n

Nicolas Maduro waves to supporters next to his wife Cilia Flores as they leave the Capitolio -home of the National Assembly- after taking the oath during the presidential inauguration in Caracas on January 10, 2025. AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Caine said the operation involved aircraft launching across the hemisphere.<\/p>\n

One US aircraft was hit but remained flyable.<\/p>\n

The youngest US service member involved was 20, the oldest 49, according to Caine.<\/p>\n

U.S. intelligence tracked Maduro\u2019s movements for months ahead of the strike, building a detailed profile that helped time the operation, according to a former Pentagon official. REUTERS<\/p>\n

Despite the intensity, Trump and Caine said there were no US fatalities.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot a single American service member was killed,\u201d Trump said, adding that no equipment was lost.<\/p>\n

Two U.S. officials later said roughly half a dozen American service members were injured during the operation, including personnel aboard the aircraft that was hit while remaining flyable.<\/p>\n

At least 40 Venezuelans, including soldiers and civilians, were killed in the strike, officials from the South American nation told the New York Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Smoke rises from explosions in Caracas, Venezuela, January 3, 2026, in this screen grab obtained from video obtained by Reuters. via REUTERS<\/p>\n

Behind the scenes, US intelligence had been quietly tracking Maduro for months.<\/p>\n

Alex Plistsas, an ex-senior US intelligence official and Atlantic Council fellow, told The Post that the CIA had a small team on the ground since August, building a \u201cpattern of life\u201d on Maduro and developing sources.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe operation was supposed to go down a few days ago, but the weather wasn\u2019t good,\u201d Plitsas said.<\/p>\n

Trump said the mission had been authorized days earlier but that Pentagon planners waited for a narrow weather window to ensure tactical surprise and limit civilian harm. Donald Trump\/ Truth Social<\/p>\n

Once conditions improved,\u00a0the CIA fed the intelligence<\/a>\u00a0forward and the US Army Delta Force team led the raid.<\/p>\n

Trump said the mission had been authorized days earlier but that Pentagon planners waited for a narrow weather window to ensure tactical surprise and limit civilian harm.<\/p>\n

The ground force was bolstered by the FBI Hostage Rescue Team because the mission was executed under a federal arrest warrant tied to narcoterrorism charges dating back to 2020.<\/p>\n

Following Maduro\u2019s arrest, Trump said the US is \u201cgoing to run the country\u201d until a new government is installed. REUTERS<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cIt was actually really conducted under law enforcement authorities with U.S. military support,\u201d Plitsas said.<\/p>\n

FBI personnel accompanied the military assault force to formally place Maduro under arrest once the compound was secured.<\/p>\n

Maduro and Flores were flown out by helicopter and later placed on a warship bound for New York City, where\u00a0Trump said they will face trial.<\/a><\/p>\n

President Trump said the raid unfolded over just more than two hours and involved Marines, Navy, Air Force and National Guard units. AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, they\u2019re on a ship,\u201d Trump said. \u201cThey\u2019ll be heading to, ultimately, New York.\u201d<\/p>\n

By 4:29 a.m. local time, Maduro and his wife had been transferred to the USS Iwo Jima, a U.S. Navy warship positioned in the Caribbean.<\/p>\n

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth praised the raid as \u201cflawlessly executed,\u201d saying Trump was \u201cdeadly serious\u201d about stopping drugs and gangs.<\/p>\n

Delcy Rodr\u00edguez, together with the representatives of the Public Powers of the Venezuelan State and other national authorities, leads the meeting of the National Defense Council in the face of the military aggression against Venezuela.
Con el Mazo Dando\/ X<\/p>\n

\u201cNicol\u00e1s Maduro had his chance,\u201d Hegseth said. \u201cHe effed around and he found out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump said the US was prepared to launch a second larger wave if needed, but quickly realized it wouldn\u2019t be necessary.<\/p>\n

The capture raised immediate questions about who will take over Venezuela.<\/p>\n

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\u201cMost of the cabinet ministers are still alive and running around in Venezuela, so it\u2019s not clear who\u2019s in charge,\u201d Plitsas said.<\/p>\n

Trump, however, made clear the US\u00a0intends to stick around.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are going to run the country,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re there now.\u201d<\/p>\n

U.S. companies will enter Venezuela, Trump added, and \u201cstart making money for the country,\u201d with a heavy focus on oil.<\/p>\n

Asked whether US troops could be deployed in Venezuela, Trump brushed off concerns, saying, \u201cWe\u2019re not afraid of boots on the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n

And he marvelled at the pinpoint precision and ingenuity of the operation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey actually built a house which was identical to the one they went into with all the same, all that steel all over the place,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The U.S. operation to\u00a0capture Venezuelan strongman Nicol\u00e1s Maduro\u00a0was\u00a0a months-in-the-making mission rehearsed using replicas of Maduro\u2019s fortified\u00a0compound, showcasing military…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":88647,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[13880,30718,9,11,10,15862,1069,7318,1076],"class_list":{"0":"post-88646","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york","8":"tag-cia","9":"tag-drug-cartels","10":"tag-new-york","11":"tag-new-york-headlines","12":"tag-new-york-news","13":"tag-nicolas-maduro","14":"tag-trump","15":"tag-venezuela","16":"tag-world-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88646","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=88646"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88646\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/88647"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=88646"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=88646"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=88646"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}