At least 40 killed in US strike on Venezuela as Maduro captured, Trump says Washington will ‘run’ country

At least seven explosions struck Venezuela

• At least 40 killed in US raid capturing Venezuela's President Maduro in Caracas
• Maduro, wife, and son flown to US for drugs and weapons charges in federal court
• Operation involved over 150 US aircraft; Trump says no American deaths occurred

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At least 40 people, including civilians and members of Venezuela’s security forces, were killed during a sweeping US military action that culminated in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro, according to a senior Venezuelan official cited by The New York Times. The official said the death toll was based on early casualty assessments and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The New York Times reported that “at least 40 people, including civilians and soldiers, were killed in the attack”, describing the strike as part of a dramatic overnight operation that ended with Maduro being taken into US custody.

The assault unfolded in the early hours of Saturday and targeted the heart of Caracas.

Hours after the operation, Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were flown out of Venezuela and transported to the United States. They later arrived at Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York, where they are expected to remain ahead of court proceedings in Manhattan federal court next week. The US department of justice confirmed that a fresh indictment has been unsealed against Maduro, his wife and their son, linked to drugs and weapons charges.

US officials later disclosed new details about the mission, portraying it as one of the most complex and tightly coordinated military operations in recent history.

General Dan Caine, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, said the mission, codenamed Operation Absolute Resolve, was executed “during the darkest hours of January 2nd” after months of preparation, rehearsals and coordination across agencies, according to a report by The Times of India.

According to Caine, President Donald Trump authorised the mission at 10:46pm Eastern Time. He described the plan as “an audacious operation that only the United States could do”, highlighting the integration of air, land, sea, space and intelligence assets on an extraordinary scale. “The Force included F-22s, F-35s, F-18s, EA-18s, E-2s, B-1 bombers, and other support aircraft, as well as numerous remotely piloted drones,” he said.

More than 150 US aircraft were launched across the Western Hemisphere to suppress Venezuelan air defences, allowing helicopters to ferry troops into the capital. “We arrived at Maduro's compound at 1:01 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, or 2:01 a.m. Caracas local time,” Caine said, adding that the apprehension team “moved with speed, precision and discipline towards their objective and isolated the area to ensure the safety and security of the ground force”.

He said the mission depended on the combined efforts of soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and guardians, working alongside intelligence agencies and law enforcement partners. “We watched, we waited, we prepared, we remained patient and professional,” Caine said, noting that intelligence from the CIA, NSA and NGA was critical. He described the extraction as “an extraction so precise it involved more than 150 aircraft launching across the Western Hemisphere in close coordination”.

The goal, Caine said, was “to get an interdiction force into downtown Caracas while maintaining the element of tactical surprise”. Any breakdown could have jeopardised the entire effort. “Failure is never an option for America’s joint force,” he said.

President Trump praised the military’s role, calling the raid one of “breathtaking speed, power, precision and competence”. Speaking at his Mar-a-Lago club and later to Fox News, he said the assault was carried out under cover of darkness, claiming “the lights of Caracas were largely turned off”. “It was dark and it was deadly,” Trump said. “No nation in the world could achieve what America achieved yesterday.”

Trump said Maduro had been “highly guarded” inside a palace “like a fortress” and that US troops had rehearsed the raid using a full-scale replica. The operation, he said, lasted less than 30 minutes and was marked by at least seven explosions across the capital.

While Venezuelan officials confirmed civilian and military casualties, they did not release figures. Trump said only “a couple of guys were hit” on the US side, adding that no American personnel were killed and no equipment was lost.

Following the capture, Trump said Washington would take charge in the immediate aftermath. “We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” he said, without offering a timeline.