Late on 2 January 2026 the United States launched a military operation to capture the dictator of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro. The operation was successfully completed in the early hours of 3 January.
The capture of Maduro is a key element of the American efforts to end Venezuela’s stance as a geopolitical adversary of the US, and a geographic platform for America’s major adversaries – China and Russia.
After the capture of Maduro, the US followed up with the strengthened pressure against the rest of his regime still ruling Venezuela to give up control of the country. On 4 January, President Trump said regarding the post-Maduro interim ruler of the country, Delcy Rodríguez: “If she doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro.”
The American pressure on the regime to surrender its rule over Venezuela had been going on prior to the capture of Maduro, with President Trump mentioning his last conversation with Maduro in which he applied such pressure to have occurred one week prior to the latter’s capture.
Efforts Category: US’s Military Force against the Maduro regime in Venezuela, US’s Diplomatic and Military Pressure on the Maduro Regime in Venezuela
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