A lengthy analytical report published by the Calcalist website, affiliated with the Yedioth Ahronoth group, revealed details of the operation to arrest Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, carried out by the United States at dawn on 3 January. The report reviewed the precise stages of the operation, the risks that accompanied it, and the points that nearly led to its failure.
The report stated that the United States carried out a complex operation that ended with the arrest of Maduro during an air raid, in a scenario described as closer to Hollywood films. It combined sophisticated deception, advanced technology, and traditional intelligence work, without recording human or material losses. It was therefore unsurprising that US President Donald Trump appeared extremely pleased.
The report added that everyone knows how it ended, with Maduro forced to travel by air to the United States, where he will soon stand trial to discover for himself whether American prison is hell as it is portrayed, or whether series such as Oz exaggerated its depiction.
The report explained that the arrest was not arbitrary. Maduro seized power in Venezuela in 2013, and violence, persecution of opponents, and state terrorism reached their peak. What does this have to do with the United States? According to Trump, Maduro is responsible for the devastating drug epidemic that is destroying US streets.
In the summer of 2025, US warships began filling the Caribbean Sea north of Venezuela, and aircraft began destroying boats linked to drug gangs.
The United States named this operation Operation Southern Spear, accompanied by threats in the media. On the surface, it appeared that Trump was once again flexing his muscles, yet he was not seeking trouble. As is recalled, he withdrew his fleet from Houthi territories after realising that if ships were intercepted by a missile, he would find himself forced to invade Yemen.
Behind the scenes, however, the US military was preparing for a powerful and surprising move.
The operation began on 3 January shortly before 2 a.m., when orange fireballs covered the sky over seven different areas of Venezuela, and the world saw that the United States was serious this time.
The attack opened with a large-scale cyber assault that disabled communications and command and control centres, making defence coordination difficult. The next step involved destroying large field radars, some by cruise missiles launched from warships and others by fire from heavy B-1 bombers.
At the same time, US Navy F-18 aircraft attacked the Venezuelan air defence system. Long-range S-300 batteries and medium-range Buk batteries were destroyed using anti-radar missiles and cruise bombs.
The gap in Venezuelan airspace widened, and fighter jets, drones, attack helicopters, and additional reconnaissance aircraft poured in, exceeding 150 aircraft. Within a short time, fires lit up the night, and several military bases were reduced to rubble.
These stages focused on a single objective. They were not carried out to break Maduro’s military power, nor to prepare the ground for an invasion, nor to deliver a message, but rather to deceive Venezuela into believing that the Americans were igniting a full-scale war.
This deception was reinforced because the opening of any modern war appeared predictable in this manner. Here, the ruse became apparent. Amid the whistling of cruise missiles, explosions at bases, alarm sirens, and gunfire, the sound of helicopter blades drowned out everything else. Ten fast attack helicopters of the Chinook and Black Hawk types slipped in at low altitude, surged through Caracas neighbourhoods, then slid like ghosts into the urban Porta Tioni camp, where Maduro’s fortified residential compound is located.
Around 200 fighters from the Delta Force of the US Special Operations Command descended by ropes and took positions around the compound. Several teams suddenly appeared on Maduro’s balcony and pulled him from his bedroom. Venezuelans were stunned by the raid but quickly regained their composure and opened heavy fire on the commandos, wounding at least seven of them.
Armed helicopters provided fire support until an escape force was organised, while drones scanned every roof and balcony. The attackers then withdrew carrying Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. The operation, named Absolute Resolve, was completed successfully.
The Americans worked intensively to achieve this outcome. Sensors of all kinds analysed every pixel of Venezuela’s defensive picture. Satellites, cyber resources, and covert agents were deployed to study Maduro’s routine, his entourage, the forces present in the surrounding area, and the target zone, down to the level of a single observer.
There was no other option, as kidnapping high-value figures from behind enemy lines is considered among the most complex operations in military history and often fails even after years of planning and meticulous study.
According to the report, the plan in this case nearly failed, with several opportunities for that to happen. Maduro and his partner realised that an attack was underway and, out of caution, got up and prepared to descend into their secure shelter, a well-fortified home bunker. Had the door been closed, extracting them alive would have been nearly impossible. The fighters managed to seize them just before they entered, to the point that they were injured when they were forcefully pushed by the Rambo men toward the armoured door.
This showed that had the helicopters been delayed by even half a minute, the operation would have become far more complicated. The delay on the ground would have given Venezuelan soldiers sufficient time to advance toward the targeted camp and collectively crush the Americans. This was only the tip of the iceberg.
The report raised another possibility, that Trump’s helicopters could have exploded upon entering Caracas airspace and crashed into one of the neighbourhoods, necessitating a complex rescue operation. This was because no side in any battle guarantees intelligence superiority, regardless of wealth, power, or cyber capabilities.
The report reviewed Operation Gothic Serpent carried out in Somalia in 1993, when the United States sent Delta Force troops aboard helicopters to arrest a senior leader of the local Habr Gedir militia in Mogadishu. That militia lacked advanced technology, satellites, and even military uniforms. Nevertheless, intelligence superiority was described as being within their reach, as spotters informed commanders in the city of the helicopters’ arrival time, direction, and speed.
Fighters waited on rooftops as the force arrived, and two helicopters were shot down by RPG fire, unguided weapons that cannot be jammed or deceived. The rescue operation turned into one of the most complex and tragic missions.
Two other helicopters were damaged but managed to reach friendly territory. The operation ended with 18 killed, nearly 100 wounded, and one pilot captured.
Venezuelans were fully aware of this story and knew that the United States would likely resort to commando insertion operations. The report’s author argued that had they been smart enough to link their defence systems to social media reports on helicopter movements, they could have deployed Carlos and José Rafael onto rooftops with simple anti-aircraft weapons and thwarted Trump’s operation entirely.
Footage showed helicopters flying over illuminated areas, indicating that the electrical infrastructure had not been fully neutralised. The video was uploaded to the network in real time, meaning internet communications were also available.
The report addressed another factor that could have doomed the US plan, namely the risks of low altitude fire, unrelated to Maduro’s missile batteries, which were no longer necessary to threaten an air raid deep inside cities.
In the end, even if the United States had destroyed all radar systems in Venezuela, it would have been sufficient for Caracas soldiers to hear the approaching helicopters, see them, and raise their weapons.
The report noted that 23 mm cannons were not required, as they are widely available in the local army. Even a small truck mounted with a machine gun could have downed a Black Hawk or Chinook helicopter. It added that this nearly happened, as helicopters were hit by small arms fire and returned riddled like sieves. No pilot or vital system was hit, which was described as pure luck.
The report moved to another point, that a fence could thwart an air raid. This was not meant symbolically but literally, a fence found in every neighbourhood. Likewise, an antenna, a tree, power lines, or any obstacle in a residential area could obstruct a helicopter’s path during landing or low flight. It was enough for the crew to be unaware of the obstacle, which did not always occur.
The report paused at Operation Neptune Spear in 2011, when commando forces were sent to kill Osama bin Laden in his compound in Pakistan. Two helicopters carrying troops landed in the courtyard of the al-Qaeda leader. They were not ordinary helicopters but stealth Black Hawks with reduced radar, thermal, and noise signatures.
The mission was progressing, and the force was close when one helicopter descended into the stone wall of the compound. The design team had not accounted for rotor blade deflection near the building, causing the Black Hawk to shift as it approached the ground. The tail separated and fell, without killing any fighters.
The unit completed its mission, carried the body of the dangerous terrorist, and then blew up the helicopter planted in the garden. Under pressure, the force crowded into rescue helicopters and fled before local security forces arrived. The report considered that a similar event could have occurred in Venezuela, as Caracas is densely populated. A Black Hawk could have crashed after striking a power cable or because someone had stolen cables from a neighbour.
The report noted that anything could have happened and cited Operation Eagle Claw in April 1980, when Delta Force was sent to Iran to rescue hostages held at the US embassy in Tehran. Eight helicopters set out. Two became stuck in a sandstorm and were severely delayed en route to the desert rendezvous point, while a third suffered a mechanical failure and returned to base.
A lack of equipment, time, and fuel led to the cancellation of the mission. During preparations to withdraw, a helicopter collided with a transport aircraft. This was considered an extreme example. Weather forecasts and logistical arrangements for the Venezuela operation were far better, but it demonstrated the level of chaos accompanying such massive and complex operations.
The operation was completed despite difficulties and risks, and Maduro ended up in handcuffs. His fall was considered to have done justice to the Venezuelan people and weakened his allies in Iran, according to the report. Yet it expressed difficulty in feeling happiness from a broader global perspective, as the US raid was deemed a deeply troubling step.
The report recalled that Venezuela and the United States had been partners for many years, with US companies contributing to the development of oil reserves to a level suitable for trade. Politics disrupted this partnership, and in 2019, Maduro decided to expel those companies. This was considered improper and inappropriate, yet technically within his rights.
The report stated that the United States initially resorted to the usual method of building a case by creating a political situation that justified aggressive measures. Venezuela was alleged to be the source of a dangerous drug scourge that exhausts American society. This claim was based on allegations that Maduro had close ties with Latin American drug gangs and that drug shipments departed from Venezuelan territory.
The report clarified that these quantities rarely reached the United States, as Venezuela mainly exported drugs to Europe and Brazil. What reached North America amounted to less than 10 per cent of cocaine, with very small quantities of heroin and fentanyl. It concluded that drugs were not a sufficient pretext here.
As December 2025 approached, Trump increasingly focused on the real motive, according to the report, namely oil, which the United States loves greatly.
The report noted that in mid-month, when Trump declared that Maduro was a drug terrorist and that his regime was illegitimate, he openly stated, Their oil? We want it, and we will take it. After the operation, he announced again that US companies would return to the oil industry there and bring vast sums of money for the benefit of the United States and the Venezuelan people.
The report’s author said, Do not misunderstand me, I am not against toppling Maduro and changing the government in Venezuela. He was a close ally of Iran, and any step that weakens our enemy is welcome. At the same time, he raised questions about living in a world where any leader with power, weapons, and audacity can wake up inspired by the Vikings, and about accepting plunder as foreign policy.
The report warned that chaos would reach medieval levels, as states would no longer seek to create political situations that support a pretext of unifying cultures, lands, and living spaces. Instead, they would invade and seize resources and territories freely. It linked this to soaring defence budgets and the potential economic effects if threats of invasion and annexation became a reality of life.
The report concluded by stating that the success of the Caracas operation was a good thing, while expressing hope that the United States would teach its partners some of the methods it used. It also expressed hope that this would not become a prevailing approach, not with Erdogan in the Mediterranean basin, not with China and North Korea in their corner of Asia, not with Russia facing Eastern Europe, and certainly not in the turbulent Middle East.
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