Sure, it’s Delta Force, and they don’t F-around, but you cannot fly blind into a situation, right? That’s obvious. So, even though our special forces were facing the equivalent of the Lord’s Resistance Army in Caracas, Venezuela, they needed on-the-ground intelligence, and they got it. CIA was able to obtain an asset who gave minute details about Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s movements.
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They knew exactly where he was when the airstrikes began on January 3. Langley also had a team on the ground since August. Delta Force built a replica of the safehouse and practiced before the mission. They carried out Maduro like a dog (via Reuters):
POTUS on FOX right now:
– says he planned to do the strike four days ago but waited for the weather to be perfect
– “all of a sudden it opened up and we said go”
– says Maduro was in a “highly guarded” fortress
– says a couple of our guys were “hit” but he thinks nobody was…— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) January 3, 2026
Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were dragged from their bedroom by US forces during the raid that led to their capture, two sources familiar with the matter said. via @Kevinliptakcnn @StePozzebon
The couple was captured in the middle of the night as they were sleeping, the…
— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) January 3, 2026
Elite U.S. troops, including the Army’s Delta Force, created an exact replica of Maduro’s safe house and practiced how they would enter the strongly fortified residence.
The CIA had a small team on the ground starting in August who were able to provide insight into Maduro’s pattern of life that made grabbing him seamless, according to one source familiar with the matter.
Two other sources told Reuters the intelligence agency also had an asset close to Maduro who would monitor his movements and was poised to pinpoint his exact location as the operation unfolded.
With the pieces in place, Trump approved the operation four days ago, but military and intelligence planners suggested he wait for better weather and less cloud cover. At 10:46 p.m. EST on Friday, Trump gave the final go ahead for what would be known as Operation Absolute Resolve, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine told reporters.
Trump, surrounded by his advisers at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, watched a live stream of the events.
How the hours-long operation unfolded is based on interviews with four sources familiar with the matter and details Trump himself has revealed.
“I’ve done some pretty good ones, but I’ve never seen anything like this,” Trump said on Fox News just hours after the mission was completed.
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Minus an extended air campaign, this was pretty much like how 1997’s Air Force One opened: a special forces team raiding the presidential palace and nabbing a dictator.
Nice work, fellas. Real Americans are very, very proud of you.
As Joe noted earlier this morning, the reactions have been magnificent:
A source familiar tells me that the CIA produced the intelligence that enabled Delta Force’s capture of Maduro.
The source tells me that the CIA had a small team clandestinely on the ground beginning in August that was able to provide “extraordinary insight” into Maduro’s…
— Brooke Singman (@BrookeSingman) January 3, 2026
— Mostly Peaceful Memes (@MostlyPeaceful) January 3, 2026
— ☘️𝕃𝕦𝕔𝕜𝕪 Ƒʉͫcͧкͭιͪηͣ 𝕄𝕔𝔾𝕖𝕖 (@LuckyMcGee) January 3, 2026
La casa de Maduro a las 2 de la mañana pic.twitter.com/SR9pvtQk9c
— Los twitts del profe🇦🇷✈️🇺🇲 (@memesdelprofe) January 3, 2026
This one from the White House:
If you don’t know, now you know 🦅 pic.twitter.com/XrIps1OzY4
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 3, 2026
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