//The Wire//1130Z January 3, 2026//
//PRIORITY//
//BLUF: UNITED STATES BEGINS WAR IN VENEZUELA. MADURO CAPTURED IN OVERNIGHT RAID.//

 -----BEGIN TEARLINE-----
 
-International Events-

Caribbean: The war in Venezuela has begun. Overnight, the United States carried out a Helicopter Assault Force (HAF) raid to capture Maduro and his family, which President Trump states was a success. Maduro is currently being flown out of the country, and large-scale airstrikes are being carried out in Caracas. No American casualties have been reported as a result of the operation, and the forces that launched the raid are already out of Venezuelan airspace. 

-----END TEARLINE-----

Analyst Comments: Based on statements made by Maduro's political opposition, he cut a deal. The raid was part of the egress plan to get him out of the country, and he did so willingly. The kinetic nature of the operation was to enable Marudo to escape without his own people killing him, and so far the operation seems to be a success. Whether or not any of this is true is anyone's guess at the moment, but that's the story.

Concerning battle damage in Caracas, substantial strikes have taken place. Once the sun rises a more thorough examination of what happened can take place, but right now it looks like most of the military capability in Caracas has been taken offline, with heavy strikes hitting Fort Tiuna, as well as La Carlota Airbase.

Analyst: S2A1
Research: https://publish.obsidian.md/s2underground
Disclaimer: No LLMs were used in the writing of this report.
//END REPORT//