On January 3, several explosions were heard throughout the Venezuelan capital, Caracas. Trump revealed that the explosions were caused by American forces several hours later, and announced the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife. The capture of Maduro was confirmed by the United States Army’s elite Delta Force.
The attack comes after Trump falsely accused Maduro of having ties with drug cartel groups such as Tren de Aragua. This erroneous claim has been used as a casus belli to strike several alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific regions, as well as for aggressive actions against Venezuela.
Trump has previously authorized the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to take action against Venezuela.
As conventional forces were utilized against Venezuela’s military infrastructure, making this military operation beyond the scope of a mere catch-and-grab operation (e.g., the capture of former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega), this was an illegal use of force as it lacked Congressional authorization.
Venezuela’s opposition has claimed that Maduro’s ouster was a “negotiated exit” with the Trump administration.
