Early on 3 January, the US launched multiple airstrikes on Caracas. Hours later, President Trump announced that US special forces had captured President Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores. They were flown out of Venezuela to face narcotrafficking charges in the US. At least 40 Venezuelans, including soldiers and civilians, were killed and dozens more were wounded during the fighting.

In August 2025, the US initiated a military build-up in the waters off the Venezuelan coast. Trump deployed multiple warships to intercept alleged Venezuelan drug shipments to the US. Since then, several more warships, including an aircraft carrier strike group, have also been deployed. The US has conducted multiple drone strikes targeting said vessels in the southern Caribbean Sea and in the Eastern Pacific.

What to Expect: 

Following the capture of Maduro, the Supreme Tribunal of Justice appointed Vice President Delcy Rodriguez acting president. The role the security services play going forward will be key and a military takeover cannot be ruled out. Whether or not the sudden removal of Maduro will represent the collapse of the regime remains to be seen.

The US bombings were immediately followed by a rush on stores and petrol stations to stock up on essential goods. However, no large-scale protests against the regime have taken place, nor have any top officials publicly defected. The ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) maintains a firm grip on the country’s institutions and retains the support of the police and military under a model of governance in which corruption is deeply entrenched.

Rodriguez appeared on state TV hours after Maduro’s capture alongside the commanders of the police and military to declare that he legally remains president even in his absence and she vowed not to cooperate with the US. Trump has downplayed the idea of Venezuela’s opposition leaders playing a major role in any further political settlement but also threatened to resume hostilities if Venezuela does not cooperate with the US on a host of issues including migration, drug interdiction and oil revenues. Further US military action could prompt the remaining leadership to either resign and flee en masse or attempt to grab power for themselves.