Inside the Secret CIA Mission that Toppled Maduro: Explained
The stunning extraction of Nicolás Maduro from the heart of Caracas has been revealed as the result of a meticulously planned Venezuela CIA mission, which operated under the radar for nearly six months. While the world watched dramatic pre-dawn airstrikes on January 3, 2026, the success of the operation, codenamed Absolute Resolve, relied on an intricate intelligence network built by clandestine officers.
Operating without diplomatic cover since the U.S. Embassy’s closure, these operatives had embedded themselves in the capital as early as August 2025. They mapped Maduro’s routines with surgical precision, tracking everything from secure communication channels to personal security habits and even his pets. The operation intensified in late December when President Trump authorized offensive cyber and intelligence measures. Using sophisticated digital tools, the CIA, in coordination with U.S. Cyber Command, reportedly plunged large parts of Caracas into darkness just minutes before the physical assault began. The blackout neutralized the regime’s air defense systems and early-warning radars, creating a clear path for the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment’s helicopters.
The ground intelligence was so precise that Delta Force commandos trained for weeks in a full-scale replica of Maduro’s fortified compound built in a remote area of Kentucky. During the raid at Fort Tiuna, Maduro reportedly attempted to flee to a reinforced safe room shielded by steel doors. The speed and coordination of the CIA-led extraction force intercepted him before he could secure the chamber.
While the military provided firepower with over 150 aircraft, it was the human intelligence on the ground that ensured the mission did not become a protracted urban battle. CIA assets provided real-time updates on the location of Maduro’s security detail, allowing the team to bypass primary defenses and secure both the former president and his wife, Cilia Flores, in under thirty minutes.
As the couple now faces narco-terrorism charges in the Southern District of New York, the international community is grappling with the implications of this high-stakes intelligence victory. Critics have called the mission a return to clandestine imperialism, but administration officials argue that the intelligence-led approach minimized civilian casualties that would have occurred in a conventional invasion.
The mission’s conclusion, immortalized by a viral photo of a blindfolded Maduro aboard the USS Iwo Jima, stands as a definitive and controversial testament to the reach of modern American covert power in the 21st century.
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