By Swift Reporter
For months, U.S. intelligence agencies had been tracking Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s every move.
According to senior military officials, surveillance extended to the most intimate details of the 63-year-old leader’s life, where he slept, what he ate, what he wore and even, as one official put it, “his pets.” Among those providing intelligence was at least one source inside the Venezuelan government.
By early December, a meticulously planned mission codenamed Operation Absolute Resolve was finalised. The operation followed months of rehearsals, including elite U.S. troops training inside a full-scale replica of Maduro’s heavily fortified Caracas safe house, constructed to simulate every entry point and defensive obstacle.
The plan amounted to one of the most dramatic U.S. military interventions in Latin America since the Cold War. It was kept under extreme secrecy. Congress was neither informed nor consulted in advance. With operational details locked in, military commanders waited for the right conditions to strike.
“We wanted maximum surprise,” officials said on Saturday.
There was a false start four days earlier when U.S. President Donald Trump initially approved the mission. Commanders opted to delay, citing weather conditions and cloud cover. The final order came at 22:46 EST on Friday, 03:46 GMT on Saturday.
“Over the weeks through Christmas and New Year, the men and women of the United States military sat ready, patiently waiting for the right triggers to be met,” General Dan Caine, the nation’s top military officer, told reporters.
Trump later confirmed the hesitation. “We were going to do this four days ago, three days ago, two days ago, and then all of a sudden it opened up. And we said: go,” he told Fox & Friends.
The order was issued shortly before midnight in Caracas, allowing U.S. forces to operate under cover of darkness.
What followed was a two-hour-and-twenty-minute assault involving air, land and sea forces, an operation that stunned Washington, regional governments and the international community.
In scale and precision, it was virtually unprecedented. Immediate condemnation followed. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva warned the violent capture of Venezuela’s leader set “an extremely dangerous precedent for the international community.”
Trump did not monitor the operation from the White House Situation Room. Instead, he watched a live feed from his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, flanked by CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“It was incredible to see,” Trump said. “I watched it literally like a television show, the speed, the violence. It was an amazing job.”
In recent months, the U.S. had deployed thousands of troops to the region, alongside an aircraft carrier and dozens of warships, in the largest military build-up in decades. Trump has repeatedly accused Maduro of drug trafficking and narco-terrorism.
The first visible signs of Operation Absolute Resolve appeared in the skies. According to U.S. officials, more than 150 aircraft, including bombers, fighter jets and reconnaissance planes, were deployed during the night.
“It was extremely complex,” Trump said. “We had a fighter jet for every possible situation.”
At around 02:00 local time, loud explosions rocked Caracas. Thick plumes of smoke rose over the city as residents reported windows shaking and power failures.
“We woke up to the roar of explosions,” said Daniela, a Caracas resident. “The city was plunged into darkness, lit only by flashes from detonations.”
Videos quickly flooded social media showing low-flying helicopters and explosions across the capital. BBC Verify has confirmed strikes at five locations, including La Carlota air base, Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda Air Base and Port La Guaira.
U.S. officials said the strikes targeted air defence systems and key military installations. Trump suggested U.S. forces deliberately cut power to the city ahead of the raid.
“The lights of Caracas were largely turned off due to a certain expertise that we have,” he said. “It was dark and it was deadly.”
As airstrikes continued, elite Delta Force units entered Caracas. Heavily armed and equipped with blowtorches to breach reinforced steel doors, the troops reached Maduro’s compound shortly after 02:01 local time.
Trump described the residence as a “fortress.” U.S. forces encountered gunfire upon arrival, and one helicopter was hit but remained airborne.
“The apprehension force moved with speed, precision and discipline,” Gen Caine said.
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were seized during the raid. Rubio began notifying congressional leaders only as the operation was already under way, a decision that has since drawn sharp criticism.
“Maduro is an illegitimate dictator,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said. “But launching military action without congressional authorisation is reckless.”
Rubio defended the decision, saying advance notification would have compromised the mission. Trump added bluntly: “Congress has a tendency to leak.”
According to Trump, Maduro attempted to flee to a secure room but failed.
“He didn’t make it,” Trump said. “They got to him too fast.”
Asked whether U.S. forces could have killed Maduro had he resisted, Trump replied: “It could have happened.”
On the U.S. side, several troops were wounded, though none were killed. Venezuela’s Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino claimed members of Maduro’s security team, soldiers and civilians died during the operation.
By 04:20 local time, helicopters carrying Maduro and Flores departed Venezuelan airspace, placing them in U.S. custody and en route to New York to face criminal charges. The U.S. had previously offered a 50 million dollar reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest.
Nearly an hour later, Trump announced the capture.
“Maduro and his wife will soon face the full might of American justice,” he said.
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