U.S. Forces Capture Venezuelan President Maduro in Military Strike, Plan to "Run" Country

U.S. Forces Capture Venezuelan President Maduro in Military Strike, Plan to "Run" Country

U.S. military forces have captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in a direct military operation on Venezuelan soil, marking an unprecedented escalation in the long-standing political crisis [40668][40970][41379]. The strike, which occurred overnight on Saturday, January 3, 2026, targeted locations including the capital, Caracas [40921][41055].

Following the capture, former U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the United States would now "run" Venezuela, with a stated goal to "take back the oil" and fix the country's collapsed oil infrastructure [41227][41525][42114]. Venezuela holds the world's largest proven oil reserves, but its production has plummeted amid economic crisis [40871][41227].

Maduro and his wife have been taken to New York, where they will face criminal charges, including accusations of narco-terrorism and running a "narco terrorist organisation" [40942][41136][40970]. U.S. officials have long labeled Maduro's government as illegitimate, accusing it of corruption, human rights abuses, and stealing elections [40668][41136][41525].

The operation has created a dangerous power vacuum in Venezuela, with no clear successor named [41136][42114]. While former President Trump suggested Maduro's deputy, Delcy Rodríguez, should follow U.S. orders as an interim leader, her compliance is uncertain [41525]. The immediate aftermath leaves Venezuela's 30 million people facing deep uncertainty amid an existing humanitarian crisis of hyperinflation and food shortages [42114].

The capture of a sitting head of state by a foreign military is a rare event in modern hemispheric relations and is expected to trigger a major international dispute over sovereignty and the legality of the intervention [40668][40737][40942].