Videos and images are emerging on social media showing what appears to be a large U.S. military operation now underway around the Venezuelan capital of Caracas, which includes multiple large explosions and the presence of American special operations helicopters. While there has been no official announcement of such an operation kicking off, this comes after months of U.S. military buildup in the region aimed at pressuring cartels and Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro.
See all the latest updates at the bottom of the post.
We have reached out to the White House, Pentagon, and U.S. Southern Command for comment and will update this story with any pertinent information provided.
Videos show explosions and the resulting clouds of smoke across the skyline.
Other videos show 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) MH-47 Chinook helicopters (and what appear to likely be MH-60s) flying over Caracas as several explosions erupt in the background.
Based on what we are seeing, which still has not been confirmed by the U.S. government at this time, it seems that large-scale kinetic actions inside Venezuela have begun as a new phase of Operation Southern Spear.
We will be updating this post with additional analysis and information. Stand by.
Update: 2:45AM EST—
The Pentagon and SOUTHCOM responded to our inquiry about what was going on and they told us to contact the White House without further comment. We haven’t gotten a response yet.
CBS News reports that Trump ordered the strikes, including on military facilities.
Some thoughts on the timing of this operation. Flying special operations helicopter missions deep inside contested territory during nearly a full moon is far from ideal. It isn’t clear if something may have pushed-up a timeline for such an operation. Venezuela’s air defenses are not advanced, but they do pose a threat, which you can read all about here. Beyond larger SAM systems, the country also has many man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS) that are especially problematic for helicopters, as well as anti-aircraft artillery. Regardless, either the threat was deemed low enough to move forward with helicopter operations or the risk was worth the potential reward of whatever target or targets they were after.
It’s also worth noting that air strikes likely wiped out known air defenses that could put the helicopters at risk, but Venezuela’s MANPADS (if they were widely deployed) and road-mobile SAMs are far harder, and in many cases impossible, to mitigate with pre-planned strikes. We would also expect that either the U.S. had assurances that Venezuela’s fighter force would not fly, and contingencies in place to make sure they didn’t, or they were (more likely) preemptively destroyed on the ground. Beyond a fighter suppression of enemy air defenses and counter-air package, electronic and cyber warfare would have played a major role in this operation in regard to blunting Venezuela’s air defenses, as well.
A video showing a helicopter firing rockets at targets on the ground is said to have come from tonight’s operation, although we cannot confirm it. This looks like a common MH-60 Direct Action Penetrator or MH-6 Little Bird rocket attack run.
One strike appeared to have hit a harbor warehouse:
Update: 3:20 AM EST—
Venezuela’s government has put out a statement decrying the attacks and saying that they are about seizing the country’s oil and mineral resources.
With what appears to be a very large contingent of 160th SOAR helicopters spearheading this operation, it seems likely that the USS Iwo Jima would be used to support them, especially as much of this ship’s air wing has been moved ashore. The special operations mothership M/V Ocean Trader is also a critical part of this effort as it has been in the region for months and sailing with the Iwo Jima, but its ability to support many helicopters is much more limited than an amphibious assault ship.
Here is another video showing what appears to be an MH-60 Direct Action Penetrator doing another run:
Early reports said Fort Tiuna was a major focus of the action. This military installation is a center of gravity for the Venezuelan military and it has some very unique features, including bunkers/tunnels built into the side of the mountain it butts up against.
Update: 4am EST—
There have been reports that the presidential palace was targeted in some way this evening, although we cannot confirm that. There are armored vehicles now in position protecting the roads nearby:
Apparently Hugo Chavez’s mausoleum was struck:
Airfields were extensively targeted, with some major secondary explosions:
It looks like there were some flight diversions heading to Puerto Rico:
It’s also worth noting that all this went down within hours of China’s envoy arriving in Caracas, in part to show support for the Maduro regime during the crisis with the United States. The diplomatic party may still be in the capital.
The U.S. government has issued a shelter-in-place order for any Americans who remain in Venezuela:
Update: 4:31 am EST—
President Trump has put out a statement saying the U.S. has captured Maduro and his wife and has flown them out of the country. This matches exactly with our suspicion that this operation was peculiar in its timing and how odd it was pushing the 160th SOAR over Caracas so early in the operation during nearly a full moon. Now this makes total sense. As our editor stated earlier in the evening when this began:
“Timing is interesting here. Moon is nearly full, far from optimal for this kind of thing, especially using SOF helicopters deep into a metro area like this. Strikes likely helped clear air defenses for them, but that is unclear at this time. Target may have dictated the timeline here. Use your imagination with that one.”
Trump’s post on Truth Social also said there would be a presser at 11am.
Update: 5:24 am EST—
Was Maduro in on his own ‘exit’ or was this a true snatch and grab? Weird indicators point to both possibilities. This is a glaring question that we will hopefully get an answer to in the coming hours.
Venezuela’s defense minister is alive and is putting up a defiant front:
CBS News reports that the U.S. Army’s Delta Force captured Maduro. They were very likely at the center of the operation, but it’s possible, if not probable, that other elements, including those from the FBI, were also directly present during the operation.
Update: 8:40 am EST—
“Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been indicted in the Southern District of New York,” U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi has now written in a post on X. “Nicolas Maduro has been charged with Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess Machineguns and Destructive Devices against the United States.”
Senator Mike Lee, a Utah Republican, says he has spoken with Secretary of State and acting National Security Advisor Marco Rubio about the overnight operation, confirming that Maduro is now in U.S. custody.
“This action likely falls within the president’s inherent authority under Article II of the Constitution to protect U.S. personnel from an actual or imminent attack,” Lee wrote in a post on X. “He [Rubio] anticipates no further action in Venezuela now that Maduro is in U.S. custody.”
Pictures and videos have now emerged showing at least one of Venezuela’s Russian-made Buk-M2E surface-to-air missile systems that was destroyed by U.S. strikes. The Buk-M2E is among the Venezuelan military’s most modern air defense capabilities, as you can read more about here.
Venezuela’s Minister of Interior Diosdado Cabello Rondon, another key figure in Maduro’s regime, has also now made a public appearance following the U.S. operation in Venezuela. Cabello, as well as Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López, are also under indictment in the United States on charges related to drug trafficking.
Updates to this story have ended. You can find our continuing coverage of the U.S. operation in Venezuela here.
Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com