BREAKING NEWS: U.S. Special Forces Delta Force conduct historic operation to capture Venezuela’s president.

On January 3, 2026, Nicolás Maduro was captured during a U.S. military operation confirmed publicly by President Donald Trump on January 3, according to BBC reporting citing CBS News. Trump stated that Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were apprehended and placed into U.S. custody, marking a major escalation in U.S. action against the Venezuelan government.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured during a covert U.S. military operation, according to reporting published by the BBC on January 3, 2026, citing confirmation from its U.S. news partner CBS. While the U.S. Department of War did not formally identify the forces involved, CBS reported that the mission was carried out by Delta Force, the U.S. Army’s premier counter-terrorism and direct-action unit operating under U.S. Army Special Operations Forces. The operation was later confirmed publicly by U.S. President Donald Trump in a video posted to the official White House X account, in which he announced that Maduro and Flores had been apprehended and placed into U.S. custody.
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Illustrative image – U.S. Army special operations forces conducting a nighttime direct action mission. (Picture source: U.S. Department of War)

The U.S. Delta Force operation took place in the early morning hours of January 3, 2026, under a complete operational blackout. Eyewitnesses in Caracas reported explosions, power outages, and low-flying helicopters in the airspace above presidential security zones. U.S. intelligence sources reportedly tracked Maduro’s location through combined signals intelligence, human intelligence, and satellite surveillance. Once the target was positively identified, operational authority was transferred to Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), which assigned the mission to Delta Force.

The operation reflects a rare, high-risk deployment of the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (1st SFOD-D), commonly known as Delta Force. As a classified Tier 1 Special Mission Unit operating under the U.S. Army Special Operations Command and JSOC, Delta Force is trained to conduct strategic-level direct-action missions, particularly in denied environments where legal, political, and diplomatic sensitivities converge with military objectives.

The capture of Nicolás Maduro follows a historical lineage of similar missions involving regime decapitation and leadership interdiction. The closest precedent remains the capture of Manuel Noriega in Panama during Operation Just Cause. That campaign began on December 20, 1989, when U.S. forces launched a large-scale intervention to depose Noriega, who had been indicted in the United States on drug trafficking charges. During that operation, Delta Force conducted Operation Acid Gambit to rescue American hostage Kurt Muse from Carcel Modelo prison in Panama City. In the days that followed, Noriega sought refuge in the Vatican embassy in Panama City and was surrounded by U.S. forces. On January 3, 1990, after extended pressure, Noriega surrendered and was flown to the United States, becoming the first foreign head of state captured and prosecuted under U.S. federal law.

The capture of Maduro on January 3, 2026, exactly 36 years after the event, marks a significant parallel. Like Noriega, Maduro was under U.S. federal indictment, accused of narco-terrorism and corruption, and continued to command elements of his national armed forces at the time of his detention. However, unlike Panama in 1989, Venezuela has not experienced a conventional military intervention. The mission in Caracas was executed without a declaration of war, without regional military support, and without prolonged ground combat, underscoring the growing strategic role of Tier 1 Special Mission Units in executing foreign policy objectives without broad conventional engagement.

Delta Force’s mission history also includes the December 13, 2003, capture of Saddam Hussein in Operation Red Dawn near Tikrit, Iraq. That operation, which followed extensive human intelligence development and special reconnaissance, involved Delta teams entering a rural safehouse where Hussein was discovered hiding in a subterranean chamber. Nearly two decades later, on February 3, 2022, Delta Force executed a nighttime helicopter assault in Atmeh, Syria, to neutralize ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi. Although the target detonated a suicide device, the operation reaffirmed Delta’s role as the U.S. military’s primary instrument for high-value target raids in politically sensitive theaters.

In the Caracas operation, Delta Force operators likely conducted an air insertion, either via MH-60 Black Hawk or MH-47 Chinook helicopters operated by the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. The assault would have been synchronized with live drone and satellite ISR feeds, cyber-support for target isolation, and suppression of communications in and around the compound. These capabilities reflect current JSOC doctrine for low-visibility entry into urban environments controlled by hostile or partially loyalist security forces.

In terms of equipment, open-source assessments confirm that Delta Force operators routinely carry the Heckler & Koch HK416 carbine, typically chambered in 5.56×45mm NATO. These rifles are outfitted with suppressors, variable magnification optics, infrared aiming modules, and custom ergonomics tailored to mission conditions. Sidearms in Delta service include the Glock 19, widely used across JSOC components for its compact frame and proven reliability. In some cases, Delta operators may use the Sig Sauer P320, depending on operator preference and mission profile.

Delta Force operators conducting nighttime direct-action missions typically deploy with advanced night-vision systems. These include the AN/PVS-31, a lightweight dual-tube system, and the L-3 GPNVG-18, which offers panoramic visual coverage for increased battlefield awareness. Operators wear modular plate carriers configured for both ballistic protection and communications integration. Loadouts often include encrypted tactical radios, wearable mission data tablets, and miniature unmanned aerial systems (UAS) for overhead reconnaissance.

While specific loadouts used in the Venezuela operation remain classified, the mission profile strongly suggests the deployment of specialized breaching tools, flashbangs, diversionary devices, and electronic warfare equipment designed to disrupt enemy command and control channels during the terminal phase of the raid. These systems allow Delta teams to neutralize defensive systems without escalating into prolonged firefights or mass-casualty incidents.

The successful extraction of Venezuela President Nicloas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores without reported U.S. or civilian casualties confirms the operational precision of the unit. The mission was executed in a hostile capital city, under adverse diplomatic conditions, and resulted in the removal of a sitting head of state accused of international narcotics trafficking and political repression.

The strategic consequences of the operation are still developing. The Venezuelan government has condemned the mission as an act of illegal aggression. In Caracas, loyalist military factions have begun to mobilize, while interim officials, reportedly backed by Washington, have declared an emergency transition period. The regional response remains uncertain, and global institutions are now reviewing the legal framework of unilateral foreign operations targeting sovereign heads of state.

Within U.S. defense and intelligence circles, the operation is being viewed as a decisive demonstration of strategic special operations capability. Delta Force has successfully conducted leadership-capture missions over four decades, including Noriega in 1990, Saddam Hussein in 2003, Abu Ibrahim al-Qurashi in 2022, and now Nicolás Maduro in 2026. Each case reflects a shift in how the United States applies force at the highest levels of global decision-making, bypassing the traditional escalation ladder in favor of precision application of force by elite units operating in the shadows.

As Venezuela enters a new and uncertain phase, U.S. Delta Force, part of Special Forces, has already returned to operational anonymity. Its operators remain unidentified, its methods unacknowledged, and its presence erased. The message, however, is unmistakable: when U.S. leadership determines that no diplomatic solution remains, and when the target is deemed strategic enough, Delta Force delivers results with precision, speed, and finality.

Written by Alain Servaes – Chief Editor, Army Recognition Group
Alain Servaes is a former infantry non-commissioned officer and the founder of Army Recognition. With over 20 years in defense journalism, he provides expert analysis on military equipment, NATO operations, and the global defense industry.