U.S. Captures Venezuela's Maduro After "Large-Scale Strike"

[Hummer]

Jan. 3, 2026 at 9:36am ET



U.S. Captures Venezuela's Maduro After Large-Scale Strike

A U.S. military operation was carried out in Venezuela after months of pressure on the Latin American country's president

President Trump said the U.S. captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife and extracted them from the country in a military operation carried out in conjunction with U.S. law enforcement.


The announcement came hours after the oil-rich Latin American country's capital, Caracas, was rocked by a series of explosions. The government there said military facilities and airport areas were hit.


Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores have been indicted in New York, according to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, with the deposed leader facing charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy and possession of machine guns.


Trump will give a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate at 11 a.m.


Venezuela's government said that, in addition to Caracas, the coastal states of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira were hit.


The operation to capture Maduro was carried out by the Army's elite Delta Force and the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, which was also used in the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden.


Venezuela ordered a general mobilization of all the country's social and political forces to counter what it said was an imperialist attack.


The explosions hit the city after Trump repeatedly threatened land strikes in Venezuela, following months of an unprecedented campaign of U.S. airstrikes on alleged drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean.

[ruthabagah]

It?s all about controlling the oil fields? say goodbye to ??drill baby, drill?? in the us if we have control of the largest oil fields on earth.


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[JohnnyDrama]

This is all I can come up with....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuKDBPw8wQA

[HoneyBadger]

The US has been a net exporter of oil since 2020. Most of the Venezuelan oil is low quality "sour" and many of our refineries are set up and streamlined to process and refine high-quality "sweet" crude.

I don't think this really has anything to do with oil.

[Eric P]

Such a waste of our resources.

[eddiememphis]

https://www.state.gov/nicolas-maduro-moros

In March 2020, Maduro was charged in the Southern District of New York for narco-terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.


The gun charges are an offshoot of the drug charges, possession in furtherance of trafficking.

Is it about oil? Yes.
Is it about "regime change"? Likely.
Is it about stopping the flow of illegal drugs into the US? Sure.
Is it about weakening Chinese and Russian influence in the western hemisphere? Probably.

It is a huge operation that required multiple, legally sound justifications.

[ruthabagah]

The US has been a net exporter of oil since 2020. Most of the Venezuelan oil is low quality "sour" and many of our refineries are set up and streamlined to process and refine high-quality "sweet" crude.

I don't think this really has anything to do with oil.

That changed in late 2024 and for most of 2025 since the price of crude is hovering around 60$ a barrel. Europe is favoring Canadian imports and the rest of the world is buying anything but American ? we need the barrel to be above 70$ to make a buck producing here.


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[BushMasterBoy]

It takes specialized refineries like we have on the Gulf coast. In terms of strategic gains for national security, this is a vital resource for the United States. This acquisition reduces the reliance on Mid East oil.

[bryjcom]

I don't think this was entirely about oil.. As with most complex situations, it multi variant..

I think the biggest reason was Maduro being a narco/cartel leader and Chinese exerting their influence in the region. ( Panama canal)

Venezuela is just a piece on the global chess board.

[flogger]

Pretty ballsy move no matter what the reason. It will be interesting to see how the Venezuelan military handles it. They are already calling citizens to arms. It will probably be something like that Iraqi diplomat in Bagdad, live on CNN, saying everything was under control when the skies behind him were lit up with explosions and tracers.

This was an amazing mission that was carried out by the best military minds and troops on earth, IMHO. Let's just hope it doesn't escalate to a genuine bloody conflict.