Detailed training
At 4:21 am on January 3 (local time), US President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that the US had carried out an operation to arrest Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife.
This is one of the most complex US operations in recent times and has been carefully prepared for months.
The elite US special forces, including the Delta Force of the Army, erected an exact replica of Mr. Maduro's safe residence to practice the plan to break into the strictly guarded building.
The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has deployed a small on-the-spot team since August, collecting information about Mr. Maduro's schedule to serve the arrest plan.
The CIA also has a source close to the Venezuelan President, monitoring his movements and ready to accurately identify the location when the operation is deployed.
After key factors were fully prepared, President Trump approved the campaign 4 days before the time of action. However, military planners and intelligence proposed waiting for more favorable weather conditions.
At 10:46 PM on January 2 (eastern US time), Mr. Trump issued the final order for Operation Absolute Resolve, according to US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Dan Caine.
Throughout the campaign, President Trump and his advisors watched live via video from the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
The dien bien of the campaign lasting many hours was recreated based on information released by Mr. Trump himself afterwards.
The US Department of Defense previously deployed a large military force to the Caribbean region, including 1 aircraft carrier, 11 warships and more than a dozen F-35 fighters. A total of more than 15,000 soldiers were deployed to the region, within the framework of operations described by US officials as anti-drug.
The core group in charge of the campaign includes senior US advisor Stephen Miller, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
This group has worked for months, with regular meetings and exchanges, sometimes taking place daily and regularly reporting directly to the president.
Campaign dien bien
On the night of January 2nd and early morning of January 3rd, a series of US aircraft flew out, conducting airstrikes targeting targets inside and around Caracas, including air defense systems.
General Caine said that the campaign mobilized more than 150 aircraft from 20 bases across the Western Hemisphere, including F-35, F-22 fighters and B-1 bombers. The US also deployed refueling aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles and electronic warfare vehicles.
While the airstrikes were taking place, US special forces entered Caracas by helicopter. When approaching Mr. Maduro's residence in the city center, the soldiers were shot back and one helicopter was hit but could still continue flying. Many helicopters flew low over the urban area.
When US forces and FBI agents broke into a residence described as a "strictly guarded fortress", Mr. Maduro and his wife surrendered.
According to General Caine, the Venezuelan President tried to enter a safe room but did not close it in time. Some US soldiers were injured in the act, but there were no deaths.
When withdrawing from Venezuelan territory, US forces continued to be entangled in some self-defense situations. By 3:20 am, helicopters had reached international waters, carrying Mr. Maduro and his wife.
Nearly 7 hours after the first announcement, President Trump posted images of Mr. Maduro being blindfolded, handcuffed, wearing gray sportswear, with a caption stating that the Venezuelan leader was on the USS Iwo Jima. On the evening of January 3 (local time), Mr. Maduro was taken to New York.
