For months, US intelligence agencies closely tracked Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro, monitoring nearly every aspect of his daily life. A small surveillance team \u2014 which included a source inside the Venezuelan government \u2014 followed where the 63-year-old slept, what he ate and wore, and even, according to senior military officials, details about his pets.<\/p>\n
By early December, a covert plan known as Operation Absolute Resolve<\/strong> was finalised after months of preparation and rehearsals. Elite US forces had even constructed a full-scale replica of Maduro\u2019s Caracas safe house to practise entry routes. The operation represented a level of US military intervention in Latin America unseen since the Cold War.<\/p>\n The mission was kept under extreme secrecy. Congress was neither informed nor consulted in advance, and once the final details were set, military leaders waited for ideal conditions. Officials said they wanted to preserve maximum surprise. Although President Donald Trump approved the mission four days earlier, it was delayed due to weather and cloud cover.<\/p>\n \u201cThrough Christmas and New Year, our forces remained on standby, waiting for the right triggers and the president\u2019s order,\u201d said General Dan Caine, the highest-ranking US military officer, during a Saturday briefing.<\/p>\n That order came at 22:46 EST on Friday (03:46 GMT Saturday). Trump later said the operation had nearly gone ahead several times before conditions finally aligned. \u201cIt opened up, and we said: go,\u201d he told Fox & Friends<\/em>.<\/p>\n According to Gen Caine, Trump wished the troops \u201cgood luck and godspeed.\u201d The timing \u2014 shortly before midnight in Caracas \u2014 allowed US forces to operate largely under cover of darkness.<\/p>\n What followed was a two-hour-and-20-minute operation involving air, land and sea forces, stunning officials in Washington and observers worldwide. Several regional leaders condemned the raid, with Brazil\u2019s President Luiz In\u00e1cio Lula da Silva calling it \u201can extremely dangerous precedent for the international community.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump monitored the mission from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida alongside CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, watching a live feed of the operation. \u201cIt was incredible to see,\u201d Trump said. \u201cThe speed, the violence \u2014 it was an amazing job.\u201d<\/p>\n The operation came amid the largest US military build-up in the region in decades, including thousands of troops, an aircraft carrier and dozens of warships. Trump has accused Maduro of narco-terrorism and drug trafficking.<\/p>\n The first visible signs of the mission appeared in the skies. US officials said more than 150 aircraft \u2014 including bombers, fighter jets and reconnaissance planes \u2014 were deployed overnight. Loud explosions rocked Caracas around 02:00 local time, with plumes of smoke rising across the city.<\/p>\n Residents described windows shaking, helicopters circling overhead and neighbourhoods plunged into darkness. Videos circulating online showed aircraft flying low over the capital and smoke rising from multiple sites.<\/p>\n BBC Verify has confirmed strikes at five locations, including Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda Air Base, La Carlota airfield and the Port of La Guaira. US officials said air defence systems and other military targets were hit. Trump also suggested the US disabled power across Caracas before the mission began. \u201cIt was dark, and it was deadly,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n As strikes continued, US ground forces \u2014 including members of Delta Force \u2014 moved into the city. Heavily armed and carrying blowtorches to breach reinforced doors, they reached Maduro\u2019s safe house shortly after 02:01 local time.<\/p>\n Trump described the compound as a fortified military stronghold. US troops came under fire on arrival, and one helicopter was struck but remained airborne. \u201cThe apprehension force moved with speed, precision and discipline,\u201d Gen Caine said.<\/p>\n As the operation unfolded, Rubio began notifying members of Congress, a move that later drew criticism. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called the action reckless, citing the lack of congressional authorisation and a post-operation plan. Rubio argued advance briefings would have risked leaks \u2014 a claim Trump echoed.<\/p>\n Inside the compound, Maduro reportedly attempted to flee to a secure room but was overwhelmed before he could escape. \u201cHe was bum-rushed so fast he never made it inside,\u201d Trump said, adding that deadly force had been a possibility if Maduro resisted.<\/p>\n US officials confirmed several American troops were wounded, though none were killed. Venezuelan authorities have not reported casualty figures.<\/p>\n By 04:20 local time, helicopters carrying Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, had left Venezuelan airspace. They were transferred into US Justice Department custody and flown toward New York to face criminal charges. Roughly an hour later, Trump announced the capture to the world.<\/p>\n \u201cMaduro and his wife will soon face the full might of American justice,\u201d he declared.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For months, US intelligence agencies closely tracked Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro, monitoring nearly every aspect of his daily life. A small surveillance team \u2014 which included a source inside the Venezuelan government \u2014 followed where the 63-year-old slept, what he ate and wore, and even, according to senior military officials, details about his pets. By […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6069,"featured_media":231432,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[310],"tags":[34024,140279,140280],"class_list":["post-231431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-donald-trump-news","tag-maduro-news","tag-venezuelan-news"],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018Good luck and godspeed\u2019<\/h3>\n
A massive military deployment<\/h3>\n
\u2018They knew we were coming\u2019<\/h3>\n