Venezuela has entered a severe constitutional crisis following what government officials describe as a direct military assault by United States forces on January 3rd. The operation reportedly resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores from a fortified residence within Caracas’ main military garrison, Fort Tiuna.
In an urgent televised address, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez declared the administration has lost all contact with the captured leaders and formally demanded that Washington provide ‘immediate proof of life’ while revealing their current whereabouts. The government statement characterized the incident as an ‘extremely serious military aggression’ targeting both civilian and military locations, resulting in casualties.
Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López confirmed aerial strikes hit populated areas and stated authorities are currently compiling casualty figures. He vowed the nation would ‘resist any foreign military presence,’ framing the operation as an imperialist resource grab aimed at seizing Venezuela’s vast oil and mineral reserves and breaking the country’s political sovereignty.
Simultaneously, US Attorney General Pam Bondi unveiled a comprehensive indictment from the Southern District of New York, charging Maduro and Flores with narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, and other related crimes. Bondi released the previously sealed indictment on social media, labeling the couple ‘alleged international narco traffickers’ who would face the ‘full wrath of American justice.’
According to operational reports, the captured leaders were transported via US military helicopter to an awaiting naval vessel following their extraction from the military base. The event marks an unprecedented escalation in the long-standing tensions between the two nations, raising immediate concerns about regional stability and international law.