U.S. STRIKES VENEZUELA, MADURO REMOVED

What Was Hit, What Was Destroyed, and What Comes Next for Americans

Analyst Summary

The United States conducted a large-scale, coordinated military operation inside Venezuela, striking regime military infrastructure and removing Nicolás Maduro and his wife from power. The operation was publicly confirmed by the President of the United States, the White House, and senior defense leadership.

The relevant question for prepared Americans is no longer if Maduro was captured. It is what damage was done, what capabilities remain, and how instability (or future stability) in the Western Hemisphere will ripple outward.

What We Can Treat as Confirmed

1. Maduro Is No Longer in Control of Venezuela

Capture and removal were:

• Stated by the President

• Reposted by the White House

• Reposted by the Department of War

That is sufficient confirmation for operational analysis.

Regimes do not demand “proof of life” when their leader is safely in command. They produce him. Venezuela did not.

2. This Was a Multi-Domain Strike, Not a Single Raid

Indicators point to:

• Air strikes

• Special operations activity

• Suppression of air defenses

• Precision targeting of regime military infrastructure

This aligns with decapitation doctrine, not coercive diplomacy.

What Was Struck (High Confidence)

Based on converging reporting and OSINT monitoring:

Air and Military Infrastructure

• La Carlota Air Base (Caracas)

  • Major regime aviation hub. Reports of heavy bombardment and disruption.

• General Francisco de Miranda Air Base

  • Struck to degrade air mobility and regime response capability.

Air Defense

• Russian-supplied Buk-M2E air defense system

  • Reported destroyed. This matters more than most headlines admit. Neutralizing modern SAM systems is a prerequisite for follow-on operations and deterrence.

Maritime and Logistics

• Port of La Guaira

  • Visible fires and smoke. This port is critical for regime logistics and imports. Damage here constrains resupply, not just commerce.

Additional Targets (Unenumerated)

• Command-and-control nodes

• Military communications

• Regime security facilities

The absence of a full target list is normal at this stage. Initial strike packages are rarely disclosed in detail until secondary effects settle.

What Was Not Targeted (Deliberately)

Oil Production and Refining

Reporting indicates:

• PDVSA production and refining facilities were not physically damaged

Leaving oil infrastructure intact:

• Prevents immediate global energy shock

• Preserves leverage over post-regime Venezuela

• Signals that the objective was leadership removal, not national collapse

Damage Assessment: What This Actually Did to the Regime

Even without a published BDA, effects are clear:

• Venezuelan air sovereignty is compromised

• Regime air defenses are degraded

• Military mobility and logistics are disrupted

• Central leadership removed from command

This creates a classic power vacuum window, where:

• Loyalists fracture

• Mid-level commanders defect or freeze

• Criminal and paramilitary actors move fast

Casualties: What We Know and What Matters

Known

• Venezuelan officials acknowledge deaths

• No U.S. casualties reported

• No audited casualty count released

What Actually Matters for Prepared Citizens

Casualty numbers do not change the near-term risk profile for Americans. Second-order effects do.

Those include:

• Refugee flows north

• Border pressure in Colombia, Brazil, and beyond

• Criminal network opportunism

• Information warfare aimed at U.S. audiences

Strategic Meaning for the United States

This operation breaks several post-Cold War assumptions:

1. The U.S. will remove hostile leaders in the Western Hemisphere if conditions justify it.

2. Narco-state leadership is no longer treated as untouchable.

3. Geography no longer guarantees regime immunity.

What to Expect Next (72 Hours)

1. Information Warfare Surge

Expect:

• Fake videos

• Old footage recycled

• Claims of atrocities

• Targeted narratives aimed at Latin American communities in the U.S.

This is about friction and division, not truth.

2. Criminal and Cyber Opportunism

Historically, moments like this trigger:

• Financial scams tied to “aid” or “evacuation”

• Ransomware and credential harvesting

• Disruption attempts against shipping and logistics narratives

3. Regional Instability

Watch:

• Border closures

• Military movements in Colombia and Brazil

• Internal Venezuelan power struggles

Prepared Citizen Guidance

This is a situational awareness event.

Practical steps:

• Assume disinformation is the primary threat, not violence.

• Do not believe every piece of unverified strike footage.

• Maintain basic readiness:

  • Fuel above half tank

  • 7-14 days of essentials if currently low

  • Account security and backups tightened

• Expect noise.

Final Assessment

The United States executed a successful regime-level strike in Venezuela and removed a hostile narco-state leader from power.

The operation was:

• Deliberate

• Limited in scope

• Focused on control, not destruction

The real risk now is how instability is exploited by secondary actors, criminal networks, and information operations aimed at Americans.

Stay safe. Be dangerous.