A recap of the United States’ invasion of Venezuela
On Jan. 3, 2026, a U.S. operation in Venezuela led to the capture of the country’s leader, Nicolás Maduro. Maduro then appeared before the United States federal court on Jan. 5, where he pleaded not guilty to drug, weapons, and narco-terrorism charges. The vice president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, has been sworn in as interim President, for whom the Venezuelan army has voiced support.
U.S. forces used 150 aircraft to carry out the strike in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas. The army’s Delta Force and the CIA captured Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. They were initially flown to the USS Iwo Jima assault ship, and then were transported to New York. The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) reports American officials indicted the pair for “leading a ‘corrupt, illegitimate government’ centred on a major drug-trafficking network that allegedly poured thousands of tons of cocaine into the United States.”
The capture of Maduro was planned under the name Operation Absolute Reserve, part of an ongoing military campaign called Operation Southern Spear. CFR reports the Trump Administration saying the campaign “was launched to curb drug trafficking in the Western Hemisphere.”
On the U.S. Department of War website, Pentagon News explains tensions between the two countries date as far back as 1998, and increased significantly in September 2025, “when the Trump administration began conducting targeted boat strikes on vessels deemed to be conducting narco-terrorism by attempting to smuggle illegal drugs into the U.S.”
American think tank Brookings says, “The Maduro operation demonstrates the president’s broad authority to use military force.” Saying, “the executive branch maintains that the president has the constitutional authority to use military force without congressional authorization, so long as it supports U.S. interests.”
Pentagon News reports, “with Maduro now out of power, Trump said the U.S. will oversee Venezuela until a safe transition to a legitimate replacement for the deposed strongman can be identified.” Trump reportedly saying the interim president “ seemed willing to work with the U.S. to achieve [what is] best for Venezuelans.” Trump also spoke on the American presence in Venezuela. They report Trump said America will run the country until a “safe, proper, and judicious transition,” because they can not “take a chance that someone else takes over Venezuela who [does not] have the interests of Venezuelans in mind.”
Reuters reports, “as part of the takeover, major U.S. companies would move into Venezuela, which has the world’s largest oil reserves, and refurbish badly degraded oil infrastructure, a process experts said could take years.”
The BBC reports the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, “America is not at war with Venezuela.” However, Venezuela’s defence minister, Vladimir Padrino, said “a large part of Maduro’s security team and innocent civilians were killed in the U.S. operation.” The operation highlights ongoing debates over executive authority, sovereignty, and the role of military force in political change.