This is how Operation Absolute Determination against Venezuela has unfolded

WashingtonA "surgical" military intervention began a few minutes after 1:00 a.m. (8:00 a.m. Catalan time), while Caracas and Washington slept; with the exception of President Donald Trump and a group of military and intelligence personnel, who were monitoring all the movements of the US command. has managed to capture President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. The attack, dubbed Operation Absolute Determination, surprised the Venezuelan capital with several explosions, primarily near military zones and airports. "It was discreet, precise, and carried out during the darkest hours of January 2nd, and it was the culmination of months of planning and rehearsals. An operation that, frankly, only the United States military could carry out," said General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, during the press conference. The operation required coordination between intelligence agencies, including the CIA and the NSA, and several U.S. military regiments, including the elite Delta Force unit, as confirmed by CBS. Delta Force is a special operations command focused on capturing or eliminating high-risk targets. It is the same military group that captured Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003. It has also operated previously in Latin America, participating in the search for drug trafficker Pablo Escobar and the capture of Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega. Along with Delta Force, a dozen helicopters from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, also known as night hunters.

Since early December, when Trump had already threatened a ground operation against Venezuela, the military command had been awaiting an ideal context to carry out the attack. During the Christmas and New Year weeks, army regiments remained on alert, waiting for the necessary conditions to be met to ensure the operation's success and for Trump to give the order. The key moment arrived early this morning, a night of a full moon, which allowed for greater nighttime visibility for the operation. "Those who were in the air over Caracas last night were prepared to give their lives for those on the ground and in the helicopters," Caine emphasized.

In total, according to the general, more than 150 aircraft have been mobilized, including bombers, fighter jets, intelligence, reconnaissance, and surveillance aircraft, and helicopters. This entire air contingent took off from 20 different bases located on land and also from aircraft carriers in the Western Hemisphere, after the president gave the green light to the U.S. military at 10:46 p.m. on Friday (4:46 a.m. in Catalonia). Shortly after midnight, helicopters manned by Delta Force agents mobilized, flying at low altitude, just 30 meters above the water. In coordination with this unit, which had air cover from the Navy, Army, and Air Force, the Pentagon began working to create an air corridor toward Caracas. The attack focused primarily on military installations in the Venezuelan capital to "dismantle and disable the country's air defense systems." The general blackout that occurred during the attack was not a collateral consequence of the explosions but was also part of the plan: US forces cut off Caracas's power supply to be able to move under cover of darkness. The details of how Maduro and his wife were captured remain unknown, although some sources explain that the president's location was discovered thanks to a CIA agent infiltrated within the Venezuelan government.