Projects · Intervention
Venezuela Regime Change (Jan 2026)
Operation Absolute Resolve: US military raids capture Maduro, exfiltrate to NYC for trial. Trump declares US will manage Venezuelan transition for oil production.
Operation Absolute Resolve
Operation Date
Jan 3, 2026
Duration: 2h 28m
Captured
Nicolás Maduro, Cilia Flores
Exfiltrated to NYC
US Soldiers Injured
7
One of shortest wars
Oil Deal
$300M received
First payment, 50M barrels agreed
Expected Oil Revenue
$5B+
Upcoming months
Interim Leader
Delcy Rodríguez
VP, sworn in after capture
Timeline
January 3, 2026 (2 AM)
Operation begins. Explosions observed across northern Venezuela. US forces suppress air defenses, bomb infrastructure (Fort Tiuna, airfields, bases). Apprehension force raids Maduro's compound in Caracas. CIA intelligence team (arrived Aug 2025) provided "extraordinary insight" into Maduro's pattern of life per PBS.
January 3, 2026 (5:21 AM VET)
Trump announces capture. Maduro and Flores transported to NYC by US forces. Trump calls it "most stunning, effective and powerful display of American military might and competence." States: "We are going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition."
January 3, 2026 (afternoon)
Maduro & Flores indicted. NY federal indictment on narco-terrorism, drug trafficking, weapons conspiracy charges. Plead not guilty. Maduro claims status-based immunity as sitting head of state; lawyers signal litigation.
January 3–4, 2026
Delcy Rodríguez sworn in; US "run" Venezuela claim disputed. VP Rodríguez sworn in to replace Maduro. Trump statement: "she said we'll do whatever you need. I think she was quite gracious, but she really doesn't have a choice." Secretary of State Marco Rubio walks back Trump's "run Venezuela" rhetoric within hours, claiming only "guidance" via sanctions leverage.
January 20, 2026
$50M barrel oil deal announced. First $300 million received. US lifts sanctions on Venezuelan oil; licenses companies to trade. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright visits Venezuela Feb 2026; reports oil sales already exceed $1B, $5B expected upcoming.
May 2026
Alex Saab extradited to US. Interim Venezuelan authorities collaborate in capture and deportation to US of Maduro ally Alex Saab (previously pardoned by Biden in prisoner exchange). Saab faces US charges.
Post-Maduro Status
Rodríguez maintains thin legitimacy; military chain of command remains Madurista. Democratic opposition (María Corina Machado, Edmundo González) sidelined; Trump administration prioritizes oil production over elections. Constitutional Chamber likely to uphold emergency decree and de facto regime. Uncertainty on whether US sustained engagement or limited occupation. Regional criticism mounts; international legal questions on US military action unilaterally outside UN authorization.
Sources
• Wikipedia, "2026 United States intervention in Venezuela," 2026
• PBS NewsHour, "Trump says U.S. will 'run' Venezuela after capturing Maduro," Jan 4, 2026
• Chatham House, "US attacks Venezuela and Maduro captured," Jan 2026
• Brookings, "Just one head of the hydra? Regime change in Venezuela," Jan 12, 2026
• War on the Rocks, "After Maduro: Trump's managed authoritarianism trap," Jan 27, 2026
• PBS NewsHour, "Trump says U.S. will 'run' Venezuela after capturing Maduro," Jan 4, 2026
• Chatham House, "US attacks Venezuela and Maduro captured," Jan 2026
• Brookings, "Just one head of the hydra? Regime change in Venezuela," Jan 12, 2026
• War on the Rocks, "After Maduro: Trump's managed authoritarianism trap," Jan 27, 2026