Minister: US strikes killed significant portion of Maduro’s security staff

A significant portion of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s security personnel was killed during actions carried out by the United States, according to Defence Minister Padrino López.

During a televised address, López said the Bolivarian National Armed Forces—Venezuela’s official military named after independence hero Simón Bolívar—firmly condemn the cowardly abduction of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, First Lady Cilia Flores de Maduro, Caliber.Az reports.

He accused the US military personnel behind the operation of “cold-bloodedly murdering a large part of (Maduro’s) security team, soldiers, and innocent citizens.” 

The defence minister added that Venezuela’s armed forces have been placed on heightened alert across the country to guarantee national sovereignty.

Despite what he described as a US attack, Padrino López said state institutions continue to function as planned. 

He confirmed that Venezuela’s National Assembly will begin its next constitutional term on January 5, noting that authorities will attend the official opening session as scheduled and that the country’s development process remains ongoing.

On January 3, the United States carried out a predawn operation targeting key military sites in Caracas and nearby areas—including Fuerte Tiuna base, La Carlota airport, La Guaira port, and other facilities—using large-scale airstrikes to conduct a precision raid that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, at their residence.

Following the operation, elite Delta Force units transported the couple aboard the USS Iwo Jima to New York’s Southern District, where they were to face trial on a superseding indictment unsealed that day. 

The updated charges expanded the 2020 allegations, including narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and related crimes linked to Maduro’s leadership of the Cartel de los Soles.

Announcing the operation via Truth Social and a press conference at Mar-a-Lago, Trump hailed it as a decisive enforcement of justice against a narco-state leader who manipulated the 2024 election and exacerbated migration and drug crises. 

He also indicated that the US would temporarily oversee Venezuela’s transition, involving American companies in revitalizing its vast oil reserves, while leaving open the possibility of limited ground forces for security purposes.

By Jeyhun Aghazada