Satellite Photos Show Strike Damage at Base Linked to Venezuela’s Maduro Seizure

International

oi-Gaurav Sharma

US
forces
carried
out
a
night-time
raid
in
Caracas
that
led
to
the
capture
of
Venezuelan
president
Nicolas
Maduro
and
Cilia
Flores
from
inside
the
Fuerte
Tiuna
military
complex.
At
a
briefing,
Donald
Trump
described
the
mission
and
said,
“It
was
dark
and
it
was
deadly.”

According
to
Trump,
the
US
military
conducted
the
operation
under
blackout
conditions
in
the
Venezuelan
capital.
Trump
claimed
the
United
States
switched
off
“almost
all
of
the
lights
in
Caracas,” adding
that
the
city’s
lights
“were
largely
turned
off
due
to
a
certain
expertise
that
we
have.”

Nicolas
Maduro
capture
and
US
operation
details

Maduro
and
Flores
were
reportedly
at
their
residence
within
Fuerte
Tiuna,
the
country’s
largest
military
facility,
when
US
troops
arrived.
The
pair
were
detained,
moved
to
the
Navy
ship
Iwo
Jima
from
the
surrounding
armada,
and
then
flown
to
a
US
air
base
to
face
narco-terrorism
conspiracy
charges.

The
raid
formed
the
peak
of
a
long-running
pressure
drive
by
the
Trump
administration
against
Venezuela’s
leadership.
Officials
had
engaged
in
months
of
secret
planning,
making
this
the
most
forceful
American
effort
for
regime
change
since
the
2003
Iraq
invasion,
according
to
US
descriptions
of
the
campaign.

Nicolas
Maduro
capture
and
military
tactics
in
Caracas

Trump
praised
the
planning
behind
the
assault
and
said,
“This
thing
was
so
organized,”
stressing
the
risks
for
the
forces
involved.
He
added,
“And
they
go
into
a
dark
space
with
machine
guns
facing
them
all
over
the
place.”
At
least
seven
explosions
were
heard
across
Caracas
during
the
strikes.

Defense
Secretary
Pete
Hegseth
labelled
the
attack
part
of
a
“massive
joint
military
and
law
enforcement
raid,”
and
said
it
lasted
under
30
minutes.
The
top
US
military
officer,
General
Dan
Caine,
stated
that
150
aircraft
supported
troops
who
arrived
by
helicopter
to
seize
Maduro
after
extensive
surveillance
of
daily
routines.

Nicolas
Maduro
capture
and
visual
evidence
from
Fuerte
Tiuna

Vantor
satellite
images
dated
22
December
2025
showed
an
intact
overview
of
Fuerte
Tiuna
before
the
US
action.
A
second
set,
taken
on
3
January
2026,
displayed
the
same
site
after
the
military
operation
that
resulted
in
the
capture
of
Nicolas
Maduro,
revealing
clear
changes
on
the
ground.

Additional
handout
images
released
by
Vantor
on
3
January
2026
again
highlighted
Fuerte
Tiuna
following
the
raid.
Trump
later
posted
a
picture
on
Truth
Social
showing
Maduro
in
a
grey
tracksuit,
wearing
protective
headphones
and
a
blindfold,
with
the
caption:
“Nicolas
Maduro
on
board
the
USS
Iwo
Jima.”

Nicolas
Maduro
capture,
intelligence,
and
political
fallout

General
Dan
Caine
said
US
forces
relied
on
months
of
intelligence,
which
even
covered
“what
he
ate”
and
the
pets
kept
by
Maduro.
Caine
added
that
Maduro
and
Flores
“gave
up”
during
the
operation
and
confirmed
there
was
“no
loss
of
US
life,”
underlining
the
outcome
for
US
personnel.

Maduro,
aged
63,
had
controlled
Venezuela
for
more
than
ten
years,
with
elections
widely
regarded
as
rigged.
Maduro
rose
after
the
death
of
former
president
Hugo
Chavez,
who
was
considered
a
mentor.
During
that
period,
Venezuela’s
political
system
drew
strong
criticism
from
Western
governments
and
several
rights
organisations.

The
raid
provoked
strong
reactions
abroad.
China,
Russia,
and
Iran,
all
long-standing
partners
of
Maduro’s
government,
denounced
the
operation.
France
and
the
European
Union,
usually
aligned
with
Washington
on
many
issues,
also
voiced
concern.
Venezuela’s
ally
China
went
further
and
called
for
Maduro
to
be
“immediately
released”.

Inside
Venezuela,
political
succession
moved
quickly.
Delcy
Rodriguez,
vice
president
since
2018
and
a
key
figure
in
the
oil
economy
and
intelligence
services,
was
ordered
by
the
country’s
high
court
on
Saturday
to
become
interim
president.
Trump
dismissed
opposition
leader
Maria
Corina
Machado,
last
year’s
Nobel
Peace
Prize
winner,
saying
she
lacked
support
to
govern.