How the US Operation to Capture Maduro Unfolded

Less than five hours elapsed between the time at which Trump ordered the mission and when U.S. forces exited Venezuelan airspace with Maduro in hand.

U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine speaks to the press as Secretary of State Marco Rubio (R) and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller (L) look on following U.S. military actions in Venezuela, at President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Fla., on Jan. 3, 2026. Jim WAatson/AFP via Getty Images

Late in the evening on Jan. 2, President Donald Trump ordered U.S. special operations forces to launch a helicopter-borne raid on the Venezuelan capital city of Caracas to capture the wanted Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. The operation that followed was the culmination of months of preparation and weeks of waiting for the perfect window of opportunity.

It was a complex mission during which much could have gone wrong, officials said.