U.S. Military Launches Precision Strike on Venezuela, Captures Maduro

The United States military conducted a major operation against Venezuela on January 3, successfully capturing President Nicolás Maduro and dismantling much of the country’s defense systems. According to President Donald Trump, more than 150 aircraft participated in what he described as a “large-scale strike” against the South American nation.

During the operation, Caracas experienced significant power outages, suggesting the U.S. may have conducted cyber operations against Venezuelan infrastructure. When addressing the blackout, Trump alluded to American involvement, stating: “The lights of Caracas were largely turned off due to a certain expertise that we have.”

Military experts believe the operation likely involved sophisticated cyber and space-based capabilities. Mark Cancian, a senior adviser with the Center for Strategic & International Studies, suggested U.S. forces may have penetrated Venezuela’s command and control systems, though specific details remain classified.

Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, confirmed that as U.S. helicopters approached Venezuela, the military “began layering different effects provided by SPACECOM, CYBERCOM, and other members of the inter-agency to create a pathway.” The aircraft involved included F-22, F-35, F/A-18 and EA-18 fighter jets, E-2 early warning aircraft, B-1 bombers, support aircraft, and remotely piloted drones.

“As the force began to approach Caracas, the joint air component began dismantling and disabling the air defense systems in Venezuela, employing weapons to ensure the safe passage of the helicopters into the target area,” Caine explained to reporters.

Defense analysts believe the U.S. likely employed AGM-88 HARM (high-speed anti-radiation missiles) and other air-to-ground munitions to neutralize Venezuela’s Russian-made air defenses. Despite Venezuela possessing sophisticated Russian S-300 long-range surface-to-air missile systems, along with Buk-M2E and Pechora-2M medium-range systems, the U.S. operation encountered minimal resistance.

Of the more than 150 U.S. aircraft involved, only one was reportedly hit, and none were shot down. Seven U.S. service members were injured during the operation but are “well on their way to recovery,” according to an administration official.

“Seems those Russian air defenses didn’t quite work so well, did they?” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth remarked to reporters in Newport News, Virginia.

Intelligence preparation appears to have been crucial to the mission’s success. Trump had previously authorized CIA covert operations in Venezuela in October 2025. “They gave detailed descriptions of Maduro’s headquarters, and I’m sure located all of the air defense batteries around Caracas,” Cancian noted. “So we had an excellent sense about where everything was, combining that with overhead surveillance and also electromagnetic intelligence.”

Following the capture, Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were transported to New York, where they appeared in a Manhattan federal court on January 5 to face drug charges. Both pleaded not guilty.

The raid came after months of escalating pressure on Venezuela, including a series of strikes in Latin American waters targeting alleged drug traffickers. The Trump administration has consistently refused to recognize Maduro as a legitimate head of state, instead characterizing him as the leader of a drug cartel.

Administration officials have defended the operation as a “law enforcement” action rather than an invasion. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that congressional approval wasn’t necessary since the operation didn’t constitute an act of war.

However, some lawmakers, particularly Democrats, have questioned the legality of conducting such a large-scale military operation without congressional authorization. Senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, called the action “a profound constitutional failure,” stating: “Congress — not the President — has the sole power to authorize war. Pursuing regime change without the consent of the American people is a reckless overreach and an abuse of power.”

Reed further questioned the precedent set by the operation: “The question now is not whether Maduro deserved removal. It is what precedent the United States has just set and what comes next.”