Overview
- Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores landed at Stewart Air National Guard Base and were placed in U.S. federal custody after an overnight operation.
- The assault, code-named Absolute Resolve, deployed air, land and sea power, with Delta Force taking the pair in Caracas before moving them to the USS Iwo Jima; Trump posted a photo of Maduro aboard the ship.
- An SDNY indictment charges Maduro with narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy and weapons offenses, and names Flores and Nicolás Maduro Guerra as co-defendants.
- President Trump said the United States will temporarily run Venezuela, keep forces positioned for a possible larger follow-up strike, and enlist U.S. oil companies to rebuild the country’s energy sector.
- Venezuelan leaders condemned the action as unlawful regime change and reported civilian deaths, while U.S. lawmakers and foreign governments pressed for legal justification and oversight details.