2026 United States strikes in Venezuela

On 3 January 2026, the United States conducted Operation Absolute Resolve on Venezuela by attacking anti-aircraft sites and capturing Venezuelan president Nicólas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores. Maduro and his wife are transported to New York City for the narcoterrorism trials awaiting them.<ref name=":0">; .

Nicólas Maduro had been criticized for leading a authoritatian rule in venezuela since 2013.Maduro had been vice president on former president Hugo Chávez. Maduro's rule had face sanctions from western countries, especially from the United States.Many Western nations consider Maduro's government as illegial due to the rigged election on 2018. Due to western sanctions, venezuela faced severe economic crisis leading millions of Vnezuelans migrated to neighbouring countries. 

Venezuela holds world's largest crude oil reserve making upto 17% of global oil. American president Donald Trump shown interest taking back oil from maduro, who nationalize the oil reserves.

On March 2020 the U.S Department of Justice indicted Maduro of supporting narcoterrorism on the U.S. which Maduro denies. The U.S. claims maduro had been supporting the drug cartels in Venezuela to trafficking drugs into America. The U.S declared reward prize of $50 million U.S dollars, for arresting Maduro.

On August 2025 the U.S. Navy was depolyed on Southern Caribbean. On September onwards, the U.S launches Operation Southern Spear setting up a blockade and  striking on alleged boats of traffiking drugs to the U.S. This operation continues until 3 January 2026. The Human Rights Watchdog, the United Nations had condemed this attacks. U.S President Trump declares two Venezuelan drug cartels(Tren de Arague, Cartels of the Suns)as Foreign Terrorist Organizations on 2025.

Capture of Maduro 
At 5:21 a.m. VET, Donald Trump said in a post on Truth Social that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores had been captured and flown out of the country.

Trump later posted a photo on his Truth Social account of Maduro on board . The photograph showed Maduro wearing a blindfold, headphones, a flotation device, and a gray sweatsuit, holding a plastic water bottle. (See picture in the infobox, of this article)

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez said that both Maduro and his wife are missing and asked for "proof of life". The legality of the attack has been questioned by some officials in the United States and other countries.

Maduro and Flores were flown to New York City by US forces.

The invasion force stayed in Venezuela, for about 2 hours and 20 minutes. Later that day, that force left Venezuela.

Criminal trial
US Attorney General Pam Bondi said they would both face charges of narcoterrorism. 

Maduro was in a Manhattan federal court on 5 January 2026. His plea there, is that he is, not guilty. The court is supposed to meet again on March 17, according to the judge, Gary R. Brown. Maduro and Flores are detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York City.

As of 2026, his criminal charges can give up to 40 years in prison, if Maduro gets convicted.https://www.vg.no/nyheter/i/5p0a5m/maduro-tiltalt-i-usa-saken-kommer-til-aa-versere-i-aarevis. Retrieved 2026-01-07 Maduro is not a prisoner-of-war, according to U.S. authorities. Media is saying that "legal experts [... are saying that] it would be a stretch for ... Maduro to receive prisoner-of-war status".https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/06/us/politics/maduro-prisoner-of-war-noriega.html. Retrieved 2026-01-06 Maduro has said in court, that he is a prisoner-of-war. Maduro has been compared to Manuel Noriega, former Nicaraguan dictator, who lost his POW status in 2010, and was kicked out of a U.S. prison, into a French prison.https://newsroompanama.com/2010/04/28/noriega-no-longer-a-p-o-w-moved-to-french-prison-cell/. Retrieved 2026-01-07

Reactions

Reactions around the world included protests and celebrations by the Venezuelan diaspora. International law experts, officials in the UN, the US, and other countries said the strikes broke the UN Charter and Venezuela's sovereignty. U.S. President Trump said that the United States would run Venezuela until there was a transition of power.

Media have written about two previous (sets of clothing, or) outfits, that Maduro was wearing, after being captured. He wore a gray fleece Nike Tech sweatsuit (while on a U.S. Navy ship). After President Trump released a photo of Maduro being detained while wearing a Nike sweat outfit, the photo quickly became an internet meme. The Nike Tech sweatsuit Maduro wore in the photo quickly sold out on Nike's websites after the arrest.

Deaths
The New York Times reported on 3 January that an anonymous Venezuelan official said at least 40 people, including civilians and military personnel, were killed in the attack. On 4 January, the Times reported that, "according to a senior Venezuelan official", 80 civilians and members of security forces had been killed. The same day, Reuters found that no official numbers were publicly released yet.

References

Category:January 2026 events
Category:2020s in Venezuela