How Maduro and his wife were injured during the US raid, and what officials told US Congress

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• Maduro and wife injured while fleeing US forces, later captured in Caracas
• Flores showed significant injuries in court; both had visible head wounds
• US and Cuban troops injured in firefight; officials deny regime change intent.

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Senior Trump administration officials told members of US Congress that Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were injured while attempting to escape US forces during the operation that led to their capture.

According to sources briefed on the closed-door session, the couple ran inside their compound and tried to hide behind a heavy steel door. The door frame was low, and both hit their heads as they tried to squeeze through. Delta Force operators then apprehended them and provided first aid after extracting them from the building.

The briefing was delivered by a lineup of top officials, including Marco Rubio, Pete Hegseth, Dan Caine, Pam Bondi and John Ratcliffe, CNN reported.

What the court appearance showed

When Maduro and Flores appeared in court in New York, both showed visible signs of injury. Flores’ lawyer told the judge that she had suffered “significant injuries” and might have a fractured or badly bruised rib, requesting X-rays and a full medical evaluation.

Reporters in the courtroom said Flores swayed at times and had bandages on her head, while Maduro struggled to sit down and stand up. Administration officials, however, described Flores’ head injury as minor.

CNN has sought comment from the couple’s legal team.

A firefight around the compound

Officials told lawmakers that some US special operations troops were also injured during the mission, after a firefight broke out with a Cuban quick reaction force stationed near Maduro’s compound. The American personnel were hit by bullets and shrapnel, but their injuries were described as non-life-threatening.

US Defence Secretary Hegseth said there were nearly 200 US personnel on the ground in Caracas during the operation.

The Trump administration has not offered a firm estimate of how many Venezuelan or Cuban forces were killed. Cuba’s government said 32 of its military and police officers died. White House officials suggested the real number could be higher, describing the clash as a “raging gunfire battle.”

Not “regime change,” officials insist

Despite the scale of the operation, administration officials told lawmakers they do not consider the mission a regime change effort. They argue that Venezuela’s government remains largely intact and is now led by Maduro’s deputy, Delcy Rodríguez.

According to sources familiar with the briefing, US officials view Rodríguez as more pragmatic and easier to work with than Maduro, and believe opposition leader María Corina Machado would not be able to command the loyalty of the country’s security forces.

The decision to deal with Rodríguez was informed by a classified CIA analysis examining the near-term impact of Maduro’s removal. Officials say it was not based on an expectation that the entire regime would collapse.

Quiet contacts and oil expectations

US officials told lawmakers they have been in contact for months with Delcy Rodríguez and her brother, Jorge Rodríguez, the president of Venezuela’s National Assembly. They described those talks as efforts to influence the regime’s behaviour, not to engineer Maduro’s ouster.

Rodríguez is also Venezuela’s oil minister, and the administration expects her to cooperate with the United States in rebuilding the country’s oil sector and allowing American companies to operate there. There is no formal agreement, officials said, only the expectation that US military and economic pressure — including warships in the Caribbean — will provide leverage.

Two versions of the same night

The administration’s account portrays Maduro and Flores as injured in a chaotic attempt to flee. Their lawyers, meanwhile, have described the episode as a violent abduction.

As legal proceedings move forward, the precise circumstances of their capture — and the true scale and cost of the operation — are likely to face closer scrutiny in court and in Congress.