Inside the US Special force Delta Force Raid That Captured Nicolás Maduro
(CARACAS, Jan 4, 2026) — At around 1:01 a.m. ET on Saturday, the decade-long standoff between Washington and Caracas ended in a 30-minute blitz. Under the cover of total electronic silence, U.S. elite forces successfully executed Operation Absolute Resolve, extracting Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, from their fortified residence.
The Aerial Blitz: Neutralizing Caracas
The operation began with a massive display of U.S. air superiority as over 150 aircraft, including B-1B Lancer bombers and F-35 Lightning II fighters, launched from 20 bases around the Western Hemisphere, saturated Venezuelan airspace by jamming radars through EA-18 Growlers successfully “blinded” Venezuelan air defenses. The initial strikes focused on key targets the La Carlota Airbase and the Cerro El Volcán antennas to sever the regime’s communication lines.Blackouts: Strategic cyber-attacks and kinetic strikes plunged southern Caracas into a total power outage moments before the ground assault. The planning was so intensive that Trump even said “we had a fighter jet for every possible situation”.
“Night Stalkers” and Delta Force
The extraction was carried out by Delta Force operators, transported by the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Night Stalkers). Flying just 100 feet above the Caribbean waters to evade detection, the helicopter teams landed directly within the Fuerte Tiuna, the military complex.
Social media videos posted by residents showed a convoy of helicopters flying over the city at low altitude
Despite intense small-arms fire from Maduro’s personal guard—which damaged one U.S. helicopter—the “smash and grab” mission was completed in under an hour. Mr. President said the Venezuelan leader had tried to reach a safe room but was unable to close the door. President Trump later confirmed the couple was flown to the USS Iwo Jima before being extradited to New York.
Almost exactly seven hours after Trump announced the operation on Truth Social, he made another post. This time it was a photograph of the captured Venezuelan leader blindfolded, handcuffed and wearing grey sweatpants.