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For months, US intelligence agencies had been meticulously tracking the movements of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
A discreet team, including a source embedded within the Venezuelan government, maintained constant surveillance, monitoring his sleeping habits, dietary choices, attire, and even, according to senior military sources, “his pets.”
In early December, “Operation Absolute Resolve,” a carefully planned mission, was finalized. The operation was the culmination of extensive preparation and rehearsals, which included US special forces constructing a full-scale replica of Maduro’s Caracas safe house to simulate entry routes.
The plan, representing a significant US military intervention in Latin America unseen since the Cold War, was held under tight wraps. Congress was neither informed nor consulted beforehand. With the intricate details established, top military officials awaited the optimal conditions for launch.
Officials stated on Saturday that the objective was to maximize the element of surprise. An initial attempt was aborted four days prior, despite approval from US President Donald Trump, as they opted to wait for more favorable weather and reduced cloud cover.
“Throughout the weeks encompassing Christmas and New Year, the men and women of the United States military stood ready, patiently awaiting the necessary triggers and presidential authorization,” General Dan Caine, the nation’s highest-ranking military officer, announced at a Saturday morning news conference.
The presidential order to commence the mission was ultimately issued at 22:46 EST on Friday (03:46 GMT on Saturday).
“We were prepared to proceed four days ago, three days ago, two days ago, and then suddenly the opportunity presented itself. And we said: go,” Trump recounted on Fox & Friends on Saturday, hours after the overnight operation.
“He conveyed to us, and we appreciate it… good luck and godspeed,” Gen. Caine added. Trump’s directive arrived shortly before midnight in Caracas, providing the military with the majority of the night to operate under the cover of darkness.
What ensued was a two-hour-and-twenty-minute operation involving air, land, and sea assets that shocked many in Washington and across the globe.
Its scale and precision were virtually unprecedented. The operation drew immediate condemnation from several regional powers, with Brazilian President Lula da Silva decrying the forceful capture of Venezuela’s leader as setting “another extremely dangerous precedent for the entire international community.”
Trump did not monitor the mission from the White House situation room. Instead, he was at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, where he observed a live stream of the operation alongside CIA Director John Ratcliffe and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“It was an incredible spectacle,” Trump remarked on Saturday. “If you had witnessed it, I mean, I watched it as if I were watching a television program. And the speed, the intensity… it was truly an extraordinary undertaking, a remarkable achievement by these individuals.”
In recent months, the US had significantly increased its military presence in the region, deploying thousands of troops, an aircraft carrier, and numerous warships – the largest build-up in decades – as Trump accused Maduro of drug trafficking and narco-terrorism, and targeted dozens of small boats allegedly used for smuggling drugs.
However, the initial signs of Operation Absolute Resolve were evident in the skies. Over 150 aircraft, including bombers, fighter jets, and reconnaissance planes, were deployed throughout the night, according to US officials.
“The entire maneuver, the landings, the sheer number of aircraft, was highly complex,” Trump told Fox News. “We had a fighter jet prepared for every conceivable scenario.”
Loud explosions reverberated across Caracas at approximately 02:00 local time (06:00 GMT), and plumes of smoke billowed over the city. “I heard a tremendous sound, a loud bang,” reported Ana Vanessa Herrero to the BBC. “It shook all the windows. Immediately afterward, I saw a massive cloud of smoke that almost obscured the entire view.”
She added: “Planes and helicopters were swarming throughout the city.”
Soon, videos depicting numerous aircraft in the sky – and others showing the apparent aftermath of explosions – began circulating widely on social media. One video showed a convoy of helicopters flying at low altitude over Caracas as smoke rose from apparent detonations.
“We were awakened around 01:55 by the sound of explosions and the drone of planes flying over Caracas,” one witness, Daniela, told the BBC. “Everything was plunged into complete darkness, illuminated only by the flashes of nearby explosions.”
She added: “Neighbors were messaging in the condominium group chat, all confused and unaware of what was happening [and] frightened by the blasts.”
BBC Verify has analyzed a number of videos showing explosions, fire, and smoke in locations around Caracas to identify the precise targets.
So far, it has confirmed five locations, including Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda Air Base, an airfield known as La Carlota, and Port La Guaira, Caracas’ primary link to the Caribbean Sea.
Some of the US strikes targeted air defense systems and other military installations, officials said. Trump also hinted that the US cut the power in Caracas before the mission commenced, though he did not elaborate on the method.
“The lights of Caracas were largely extinguished due to a certain expertise that we possess,” he stated. “It was dark and it was deadly.”
As the strikes echoed across Caracas, US forces entered the city. These included members of the elite Delta Force, the US military’s premier special mission unit, sources told CBS, the BBC’s US news partner. They were heavily armed and carried a blowtorch in case they needed to breach the metal doors of Maduro’s safe house.
The troops arrived at Maduro’s location shortly after the strikes began at 02:01 local time, according to Gen. Caine. Trump described the safe house as a military “fortress” in the heart of Caracas, stating: “They were in a prepared position, anticipating our arrival. They knew we were coming.”
The troops encountered gunfire upon arrival, and one of the US helicopters sustained damage but remained operational. “The apprehension force descended into Maduro’s compound and moved with speed, precision, and discipline,” Gen. Caine said.
“They simply broke in, gaining access to areas that were seemingly impenetrable, fortified steel doors designed for precisely this type of situation,” Trump remarked.
It was only as the operation – which also included the capture of Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores – was underway that Rubio began informing lawmakers, a decision that has sparked anger among some members of the US Congress.
“Let me be clear: Nicolas Maduro is an illegitimate dictator. However, launching military action without congressional authorization and without a credible plan for what comes next is irresponsible,” stated top Democrat Chuck Schumer, the party’s leader in the Senate.
Briefing Congress in advance would have jeopardized the mission, Rubio told reporters during the news conference on Saturday. “Congress has a propensity to leak,” Trump added. “This would not have been conducive to success.”
Inside Maduro’s compound, as elite US troops poured in, Trump said that the Venezuelan president – who has reportedly increased his reliance on Cuban bodyguards in recent months – attempted to flee to a safe room.
“He was attempting to reach a secure location, which ultimately proved not to be secure, as we would have breached the door in approximately 47 seconds,” Trump said.
“He reached the door but was unable to secure it. He was overwhelmed so quickly that he could not gain entry into that [room].”
When asked if the US could have killed Maduro, an authoritarian leader who assumed the presidency in 2013, if he had resisted arrest, Trump responded: “That was a possibility.”
On the US side, “a couple of guys sustained injuries,” he said, but no US service members were killed.
In a statement on Sunday, Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino said that a “significant portion” of Maduro’s security detail and “soldiers and innocent civilians” were killed during the US operation.
The US had previously offered a $50m (£37m) reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest. By 04:20 local time on Saturday, helicopters were departing Venezuelan territory with Maduro and his wife on board, in the custody of the US Department of Justice and en route to New York, where they are expected to face criminal charges.
Almost exactly an hour later, Trump announced the news of his capture to the world. “Maduro and his wife will soon face the full force of American justice,” he declared.
Additional reporting by Cristobal Vasquez
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