U.S. forces carried out a rapid and highly coordinated military operation in early January that overwhelmed Venezuela’s air defenses and led to the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife.
The operation involved a large scale aerial assault using fighter jets, bombers, and drones to strike key military sites and disable radar and communications around Caracas. With Venezuela’s air defense systems suppressed, U.S. special operations teams were then inserted to secure Maduro’s location.
Explosions and communications disruptions were reported in the capital as the pre dawn operation unfolded. Helicopter borne troops reached their target quickly, taking Maduro and his wife into custody before transporting them out of the country to face charges in the United States.
Venezuela’s military, which relied on older air defense systems, was unable to mount an effective response to the strike. The mission demonstrated the United States’ ability to use overwhelming air power and precision ground forces to neutralize defenses and achieve its objective in a short period of time.