The United States captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores in a two-hour-and-28-minute raid on Saturday morning, an operation that involved months of planning and at least 150 aircraft. The raid, named Operation Absolute Resolve, relied heavily on CIA intelligence, including a human source inside the Venezuelan government, to track Maduro's movements and patterns of life.
From August, US intelligence agencies worked to establish Maduro's routine, monitoring his travel, sleeping locations, and security measures. Maduro had tightened his personal security, changing sleeping locations regularly and relying on Cuban counterintelligence and bodyguards. However, on Friday evening, his location was fixed at a compound on Fuerte Tiuna, a key military base in Caracas.
The operation began at 10.46pm Eastern Time when President Donald Trump gave the final go order. US forces first cleared an air corridor by destroying Venezuela's air defences, including Russian-made Su-30 jets and S-300 missile systems, using Tomahawk cruise missiles and AGM-88 Harm anti-radiation weapons. More than 150 US aircraft were involved, including F-35 fighter jets and helicopters carrying elite Delta Force troops.
The Delta Force team flew at 100 feet above the water to evade radar, then used the mountains near Caracas for cover. Nine helicopters, including modified Black Hawks and Chinooks, flew in formation across the city to Fuerte Tiuna, undetected by Venezuelan air defence. Trump also claimed that power in Caracas was largely turned off due to US expertise, possibly alluding to a cyber-attack, though satellite imagery showed a power station bombed at the military base.
The capture of Maduro and his wife plunges Venezuela into profound uncertainty, as the US demonstrates its military superiority in the region. The CIA's briefing about a human source inside the Venezuelan government may undermine confidence in the security system of Maduro's successors.
