In the setting of Mar-a-Lago, statements made by Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine outlined what has been unequivocally defined as an unprecedented joint operation.
No agreement, no negotiation, as some have tried to suggest: only action. This is the common thread that emerges from the official account.
"An operation planned for years"
General Caine was clear: "We have meticulously planned this operation for years. Only we are capable of conducting a real operation of this level. It is impossible to explain its complexity".
A statement that captures the scale of the effort deployed: over 150 assets including fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, naval units, and strategic support assets.
According to the US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, it only took one of these elements to mistime for the entire operation to fail. Instead, everything was synchronized with absolute precision for a single goal: to reach the center of Caracas while maintaining the element of surprise.
The role of the CIA: months of surveillance on Nicolás Maduro
The account then delves into more sensitive details: months of continuous surveillance on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Daily habits, movements, diet, even pets. A thorough intelligence work, with CIA personnel on the ground, interceptions, drones, and behavioral analysis.
In December, a series of events made it difficult to pinpoint the ideal moment. The operational window only opened thanks to favorable weather conditions the night before the action.
The presidential order: "Good luck and God be with you"
At 22:46 (Eastern Time) the go-ahead was given. "Good luck and God be with you", Trump said to the military. From 20 different bases, the aircraft took off maintaining a very low altitude over the ocean, coordinating with Spacecom to create a safe operational corridor, under the naval cover of the U.S. Navy and Marines.
From the carrier strike group of the USS Gerald R. Ford, F-22 and F-35 jets took off, selectively striking Venezuelan military infrastructures, neutralizing the air defense system and ensuring the passage of helicopters.
The ground action, Delta Force steps in
Immediately after, with a synchronization described by General Caine as “perfect,” the CH-47 Chinook helicopters of the 160th SOAR flew at very low altitude to the insertion point. At 02:01 local time, Delta Force operators were just meters from the target.
Maduro attempted to flee. The guards resisted and were neutralized. The Venezuelan president tried to reach an area that, according to US assessments, would have made him unreachable – likely a presidential bunker – but found other Delta operators there. At that point, he and his wife surrendered.
During the extraction, a helicopter was hit but managed to return.
By 03:29, US forces were already secure with the detainees aboard the USS Iwo Jima.
47 seconds worth years
A symbolic figure closed the operational part: 47 seconds.
That was the duration of the decisive phase of the ground action by Delta Force operators. A minimal time encapsulating years of intelligence work, strategic planning, and presence on the ground.
Trump: "End of terror"
Trump spoke again with harsh tones: "Maduro has pursued a doctrine of terror, with incredible amounts of drugs that have destroyed lives in the United States and beyond. His murderous gangs have terrorized the people. Now they are no longer brutal. They will be judged in the United States of America.".
Rubio: "Don't play with fire. This is the message"
Rubio's intervention was even more political: "Maduro is not a legitimate president. He had many opportunities to step down and live peacefully. He chose to play with fire and got burned".
The message, he clarified, is twofold: no tolerance for those who challenge Washington and a clear break from the past. "The 47th President doesn't play. When Trump says something, he does it".
Trump: "Venezuela will be rich again"
The US President finally outlined the future scenario: Venezuela will repay in oil the damages of past expropriations, but the reconstruction will benefit Venezuelans.
On María Corina Machado, Trump expressed personal respect, but emphasized that today there would not be sufficient internal consensus for her to govern.
The United States will lead the transition phase, with contacts already initiated with Delcy Rodríguez. No ambiguity: "She will have to do as we say". For other Chavista leaders, the same message: "Today their thinking is surely different from two days ago. They know what happens if they don't do as we say".
As for Russia and China, historical partners of Venezuela, Trump stated that Caracas will be able to sell even more oil to these two countries, as production had been limited by obsolete machinery. "With our support, we will rebuild the infrastructures and Venezuela will be rich again, primarily for the Venezuelans".
On a new attack, Trump declared: "We are always ready, but probably there is no need". Then two words on a possible similar intervention in Cuba: "It's on the agenda. We will talk about it in the future".
From today, a new Venezuela is born: a strategic and political watershed destined to weigh heavily on regional and global balances.
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