In a stunning display of precision and overwhelming force, U.S. Army Delta Force operators, supported by the elite 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Night Stalkers), executed a flawless pre-dawn raid in Caracas, Venezuela, on January 3, 2026, capturing Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The operation, codenamed “Absolute Resolve,” marked the dramatic culmination of months of escalating U.S. pressure on the Maduro regime and ended his 13-year grip on power without a single American casualty.
President Donald Trump, monitoring the raid in real-time from Mar-a-Lago alongside key cabinet members, hailed it as a brilliant success. “We captured Nicolás Maduro and his wife, and flew them out of the country,” Trump announced early Saturday morning. Hours later, in a press conference alongside with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine, Trump revealed that the U.S. would temporarily run Venezuela to facilitate a leadership transition and reclaim American interests in the nation’s vast oil reserves.
The raid was the result of meticulous planning spanning late 2025. CIA teams, operating covertly inside Venezuela with assistance from a high-level source close to Maduro, tracked his movements, habits, and even personal details like his pets and daily routines. Delta Force commandos rehearsed the assault using a full-scale replica of Maduro’s fortified compound, practicing breaches of steel-reinforced doors – including preparations to use blowtorches if necessary.
A massive U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean provided the backbone: over 150 aircraft, including fighters, bombers, drones and helicopters, took off from multiple bases. As the operation launched around 2:00 a.m. local time in Caracas, U.S. forces first disabled Venezuelan air defenses, knocked out power grids across the capital (plunging Caracas into darkness) and struck key military sites like Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela’s largest garrison.
Helicopters from the 160th SOAR flew low – skimming just 100 feet over the Caribbean Sea – to insert Delta Force operators and accompanying law enforcement personnel (including FBI Hostage Rescue Team members to formally execute the arrest warrant) directly into Maduro’s downtown compound. Venezuelan guards opened fire, damaging one helicopter, but U.S. forces responded with “overwhelming force,” neutralizing threats swiftly.
The assault on the compound lasted under 30 minutes. Maduro, awakened in his bedroom alongside his wife, attempted to flee to a steel-enforced safe room but was overwhelmed before he could seal the door. Both surrendered without further resistance. By 3:29 a.m. EST, the extraction helicopters were safely over open water, with the couple aboard en route to the USS Iwo Jima amphibious assault ship.
The operation enforced a 2020 U.S. indictment charging Maduro with narco-terrorism, drug trafficking and related offenses, backed by a $50 million reward (doubled in 2025). Officials framed it as a law enforcement action to dismantle a regime accused of flooding the U.S. with cocaine and undermining regional stability.
Maduro and Flores were flown to New York, arriving at Stewart Air National Guard Base before transfer to federal custody. Maduro is expected to face trial on charges carrying potential life sentences.
Celebrations erupted across Caracas and among Venezuelan exiles. Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez assumed acting presidential duties, initially defiant but later signaling openness to dialogue.
Trump emphasized the mission’s broader goals: curbing drug flows, restoring U.S. oil interests (claiming past nationalizations stole from American companies), and signaling resolve to adversaries. “No nation in the world could achieve what America achieved,” he declared.
Operation “Absolute Resolve” stands as the most successful among special operations in modern history. As Venezuela navigates an uncertain transition, the world watches to see if this bold stroke heralds lasting stability or new challenges in Latin America.
By Don Carney, Washington D.C.
© Preems