Invaded Venezuela and Captured Its President
The U.S. launched a military invasion of Venezuela, capturing President Maduro and killing at least 80 people. Trump declared the U.S. would "run the country." Brazil, France, China, and most of the world condemned it.
On January 3, 2026, the United States launched a large-scale military attack on Venezuela ("Operation Absolute Resolve"), deploying approximately 150 aircraft in an "air, land and sea" operation. President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were captured and transported to New York for arraignment on narco-terrorism charges.
At least 80 people were killed, including civilians and 32 Cubans. Trump declared the U.S. would "run the country" temporarily.
The international reaction was overwhelming condemnation:
- Brazil's Lula: The strikes "crossed an unacceptable line"
- France: The operation "violates the principle of not resorting to force"
- China was "deeply shocked" by "blatant use of force"
- Mexico, Chile, Cuba, and Russia condemned the invasion
It was the first U.S. military invasion of a sovereign Western Hemisphere nation since Panama in 1989. The operation — attacking a country to arrest its leader and then declaring the U.S. would "run" it — represented a return to the most aggressive form of interventionism that the United States had spent decades trying to move beyond in Latin America.