CNN 5 Things One Thing: The US Captured Maduro. Now What?
Jan 4, 2026
Mary Triny Mena, a freelance journalist in Caracas, shares her firsthand experience of the US operation that captured Nicolás Maduro, detailing the reactions of local residents and the tense atmosphere in the capital. Natasha Bertrand, CNN's national security correspondent, delves into the complexities of the operation, including tactical execution and implications for US governance in Venezuela. They discuss the challenges of military loyalty, the risks of a power vacuum, and the geopolitical consequences that could resonate worldwide.
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Caracas Woke To Airstrikes And Silence
- Mary Triny Mena describes waking to 45 minutes of detonations, helicopters and distant gunfire across Caracas.
- The city later fell silent with empty highways as residents stayed home amid a declared state of emergency.
Highly Coordinated Military-Law Enforcement Raid
- Natasha Bertrand explains Operation Absolute Resolve used 150 aircraft and interagency cyber and space effects to create an extraction corridor.
- U.S. forces disabled Venezuelan air defenses and executed a rapid helicopter apprehension of Maduro's compound.
Months Of Buildup Made A Raid Possible
- The operation followed months of planning, rehearsals and a regional military buildup intended as contingency for Maduro's refusal to step down.
- U.S. officials hoped internal revolt or popular uprising would remove him, but contingency plans remained ready.