Caracas: For months, American intelligence operatives had been tracking every movement of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Senior military officials say a small and tightly controlled team was assigned to the mission, including a source from within the Venezuelan government itself.
The team monitored where the 63-year-old leader slept, what he ate, what he wore and even kept tabs on “his pets”, according to officials familiar with the operation.
By early December, a mission codenamed Operation Absolute Resolve was finalised. It followed months of planning and repeated rehearsals, during which elite US troops trained inside a full-scale replica of Maduro’s heavily guarded Caracas safe house, practising entry routes and assault scenarios in minute detail.
The plan was kept under strict secrecy. The Congress was not informed in advance, and no consultations were held. Once every detail was locked in, senior commanders waited only for the right moment to move.
Military officials described the operation as one of the most extraordinary US interventions in Latin America since the Cold War.
Officials said surprise was central to the plan. Trump approved the mission four days earlier, and preparations began immediately. Commanders then chose to wait for clearer weather and reduced cloud cover before launching the assault.
Speaking at a Saturday (January 3) morning press conference, America’s top military officer, General Dan Kane, said, “Through Christmas and the New Year, US servicemen and women were fully prepared, waiting patiently for the right signals and the president’s order.”
‘Good Luck And Godspeed’
The final order came from President Donald Trump at 10:46 pm local time on Friday (January 2) night. Speaking hours later on Fox & Friends, Trump said, “We were going to do it four days ago, three days ago, two days ago and then suddenly the conditions were right and we said, go do it.”
General Kane recalled Trump’s words, “He told us, and we appreciated it greatly… good luck and Godspeed,” he said.
The order reached Caracas shortly before midnight, giving US forces nearly a full night of darkness to carry out the operation.
What followed stunned officials in Washington and observers worldwide. The air, land and sea assault was completed in 2 hours and 20 minutes. Officials described its scale and precision as almost unprecedented.
Regional leaders condemned the operation. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said the violent capture of Venezuela’s leader set “another extremely dangerous precedent for the entire international community”.
Trump did not monitor the mission from the White House Situation Room. Instead, he watched from his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, along with advisers, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, viewing the operation live.
“It was incredible to watch,” he said on Saturday, adding, “If you saw what happened, I mean, I was really watching it like a television show. The speed, the violence, it was astonishing. These people did an incredible job.”
In recent months, thousands of US troops had been deployed to the region. An aircraft carrier and dozens of warships formed the largest American military buildup there in decades, following Trump’s accusations that Maduro was involved in drug trafficking and “narco-terrorism” and after dozens of boats allegedly carrying drugs were destroyed.
The first signs of Operation Absolute Resolve appeared in the skies. US officials said more than 150 aircraft, including bombers, fighter jets and surveillance planes, were deployed overnight.
“This was extremely complex. The entire manoeuvre, the landings, the number of aircraft. We had a fighter jet ready for every possible situation,” Trump told Fox News.
At around 2:00 am local time, residents in Caracas reported loud explosions and saw thick plumes of smoke rising above the city.
BBC journalist Ana Vanessa Herrero said, “I heard an extremely loud blast. The windows shook violently. Almost immediately after, I saw a massive cloud of smoke that covered nearly everything.”
“Planes and helicopters were flying all across the city,” she added.
Videos began circulating on social media, showing aircraft overhead and the aftermath of explosions. One clip showed a formation of helicopters flying low over Caracas, with smoke rising below them.
A witness named Daniela told the BBC, “We woke up around 1:55 am to the sound of explosions and aircraft flying over Caracas. Everything went completely dark. We could only see flashes of light from nearby blasts.”
She said neighbours were messaging each other in group chats, confused and frightened, with no one understanding what was unfolding.
Multiple videos show explosions, fires and smoke across different parts of Caracas. The sites that were struck include Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda Air Base, the La Carlota airfield and the Port of La Guaira linking Caracas to the Caribbean Sea.
Officials said several airstrikes hit air defence systems and other military facilities. Trump also indicated that electricity in Caracas had been largely shut down before the operation began, though he did not explain how.
“We have a certain expertise. The power in Caracas was mostly taken out. It was dark. It was deadly,” he said.
‘They Knew We Were Coming’
As explosions echoed around Caracas, US troops moved into the city. Elite Delta Force units were among those deployed.
The soldiers were heavily armed and carried blowtorches to cut through metal doors at Maduro’s safe house if necessary.
Shortly after the attacks began at 2:01 am local time, troops reached Maduro’s compound. Trump described it as a heavily fortified military “fortress” in the heart of Caracas.
“They were fully prepared and waiting for us. They knew we were coming,” Trump said.
As troops arrived, they came under fire, and one US helicopter was targeted. It managed to escape.
The team tasked with capturing Maduro landed at the compound and moved forward with speed, precision and discipline.
Trump added, “They went straight in and breached places that were not easy to enter, including steel doors designed specifically to stop them.”
Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores, was also captured during the operation.
As the mission began, Secretary of State Marco Rubio started briefing lawmakers. Some members of the Congress later expressed anger over the lack of advance notice.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said, “Let me be clear. Nicolas Maduro is an illegitimate dictator. Launching military action without congressional authorisation and without a credible plan for what comes next is reckless.”
At a Saturday press conference, Rubio said informing the Congress beforehand could have endangered the mission. “There is always a risk of leaks in the Congress. That would not have been good,” said Trump.
In recent months, Maduro had reportedly increased his reliance on Cuban bodyguards.
Trump said that as US troops entered the compound, Maduro tried to flee toward a secure room.
“He was trying to reach a safe place. That place would not have stayed safe, because we would have blown that door in about 47 seconds,” Trump said.
“He made it to the door. He could not shut it. They surrounded him so fast that he never got inside,” he said.
Asked whether Maduro could have been killed if he resisted arrest, Trump replied, “That could have happened.”
Trump said “one or two” Americans were injured during the operation, with no US fatalities reported. Venezuelan authorities have not confirmed any deaths.
Earlier, the United States had announced a $50 million reward for information leading to Maduro’s capture.
By 4:20 am local time on Saturday, Maduro and his wife were in the custody of the US Justice Department. Helicopters carrying them crossed out of Venezuelan airspace, heading to New York, where criminal proceedings are expected.
About an hour later, Trump announced the capture to the world. “Maduro and his wife will soon face the full force of the American justice system,” he said.
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