Venezuela: Operation Absolute Resolve
The January 3, 2026 capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro — described by Trump as "the most audacious military action" of either of his terms. No congressional authorization obtained.
Nicolás Maduro had ruled Venezuela since 2013, presiding over an economic collapse that drove millions of Venezuelans to flee the country. His government was widely accused of drug trafficking, human rights abuses, and electoral fraud — he was re-elected in July 2024 in a contest the U.S., UK, and most democratic nations described as neither free nor fair.
The United States had indicted Maduro on narcoterrorism charges prior to the operation. Trump had long spoken of Venezuela as a priority, citing drug trafficking and the presence of Cuban military and intelligence forces in the country. Cuba's role — denied by Maduro as recently as 2019 — was dramatically confirmed during the operation itself, when 32 Cuban military and intelligence personnel were killed.
The Trump administration pursued a multi-pronged approach before the military operation: economic pressure through sanctions, a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers, a series of Caribbean drug-boat strikes, and secret diplomatic back-channels offering Maduro an exit.
Secret Diplomatic Contacts
In November 2025, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado attended a business meeting in Miami with Trump, promising to open Venezuela's oil and gas reserves. The Trump administration simultaneously conducted secret talks with Maduro's government about its oil reserves. In December, Maduro was offered exile in Turkey — he refused. Trump personally called Maduro approximately one week before the operation. "You got to surrender," Trump told him. Maduro's public dismissiveness of the American threat — including public dancing on a stage — set the final phase of the operation in motion. (NBC News, January 2026)
At 10:46 PM ET on January 2, Trump gave the final order to launch. Throughout the night, aircraft launched from 20 bases across the Western Hemisphere. Gen. Caine said the mission involved more than 150 aircraft.
"As the night began, the helicopters took off with the extraction force, which included law enforcement officers, and began their flight into Venezuela at 100 feet above the water," Caine told reporters at Mar-a-Lago the following day. The extraction team was accompanied by DEA law enforcement officers, consistent with the administration's framing of the operation as a law-enforcement action rather than an act of war.
The U.S. Armed Forces simultaneously bombed infrastructure across northern Venezuela to suppress air defenses. The extraction force targeted Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela's largest military complex, where Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were at their home.
Most of Maduro's personal guard were killed in the assault. At least 23 Venezuelan security officers were confirmed dead by Venezuelan authorities; a senior Venezuelan official subsequently told the New York Times the figure had risen to approximately 80, including both security personnel and an estimated two civilians. Thirty-two Cuban military and intelligence personnel, who were stationed in Venezuela in support of Maduro — a fact Cuba had previously denied — were also killed. Trump said at the news conference: "You know, a lot of Cubans were killed yesterday."
Maduro and Flores were transported to the USS Iwo Jima, then flown to New York City. The White House Rapid Response account posted a video on X appearing to show Maduro being "perp walked" down a DEA-carpeted hallway escorted by agents. The operation lasted 2 hours and 28 minutes — qualifying, if considered a military conflict, as one of the shortest wars in history.
There were no U.S. casualties. Much of Caribbean airspace was closed for the duration; U.S. Transport Secretary Sean Duffy announced flights could resume from midnight ET.
On January 5, 2026, Maduro and Flores pleaded not guilty to narcoterrorism charges in Manhattan federal court. Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez denounced Maduro's "kidnapping" and was sworn in as acting president in front of Venezuela's National Assembly the same day.
Trump announced that the U.S. was "going to run the country, until we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition" of power — a statement that drew immediate concern from legal scholars and international observers. Opposition leader María Corina Machado called for internationally recognized opposition candidate Edmundo González to be recognised as president and assume power.
Multiple political prisoners, including foreign nationals, were released by the Venezuelan government in the wake of the operation — a gesture Trump said contributed to avoiding a second wave of U.S. attacks. On January 30, Rodríguez announced an amnesty bill for political prisoners covering 1999 to the present, approved on February 19.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio outlined a three-phase plan to pressure the remaining Venezuelan government, including calls for reforms to the oil industry, removal of advisors from China, Cuba, Iran, and Russia, and the release of remaining political prisoners. The U.S. continued its blockade of oil tankers evading Venezuelan sanctions.
International Law
The UN, international law experts, and the governments of China, Russia, and Cuba said the operation violated the UN Charter and Venezuelan sovereignty. Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, raised the precedent concern: "Does this mean any large country can indict the ruler of a smaller adjacent country and take that person out?"
U.S. Legal Framing
The Trump administration justified the operation as a "law-enforcement action, with military support" under the president's "inherent constitutional authority." No congressional authorization was sought — consistent with Trump's approach to the Iran nuclear strikes and the Venezuela drug-boat campaign. Russia's Lavrov expressed "strong solidarity" but Russia took no meaningful action.
NBC News — "How the U.S. Captured Maduro"
NBC News, January 3–4, 2026. Detailed account based on interviews with more than a dozen White House, administration, and congressional officials. Primary source for CIA infiltration timeline, compound mockup, and final approval sequence.
CBS News Live Updates — January 3, 2026
CBS News. Documents Gen. Caine's Mar-a-Lago press conference, the 150+ aircraft/20 bases figure, the 10:46 PM final order, and the helicopter approach at 100 feet.
Wikipedia — 2026 United States Intervention in Venezuela
Compiled from DOD, AP, Reuters, NYT, and other primary sources. Documents operation details, casualty figures, the Cuban forces' presence, and the diplomatic aftermath.
House of Commons Library — UK Briefing
UK Parliament research briefing, May 2026. Provides the international law analysis, the Rodríguez interim presidency, and the UN Charter violation questions raised by legal scholars and politicians.
CNN — January 3–4, 2026 Live Coverage
Documents the Caribbean airspace closure, the DEA "perp walk" video, and the aftermath on Venezuelan streets.
Council on Foreign Relations — Military Strikes Guide
CFR, March 2026. Places the Venezuela operation in context of Trump's broader second-term military actions, including the Rubio three-phase plan and ongoing oil sanctions.
Associated Press — Operation Southern Spear
AP reporting confirmed 35 known Caribbean strikes between September and December 2025, killing at least 115 people in the buildup to the Caracas operation.