U.S. Forces Storm Caracas: Maduro Captured, Trump Vows to 'Run' Venezuela and Rebuild Oil Sector

Operation Bolívar Dawn

Just after 3 a.m. local time, cruise missiles lit the Caribbean sky and Navy Seals breached the Miraflores Palace, ending Nicolás Maduro’s 11-year grip on Venezuela. By sunrise, the embattled president and First Lady Cilia Flores were in U.S. custody aboard a C-17 bound for an undisclosed American base.

Inside the Raid

Witnesses describe a 42-minute assault that leveled the palace’s west wing and severed state-television feeds. “It felt like an earthquake,” said María Castellano, a student in the nearby Plaza Bolívar. “Then silence, and helicopters everywhere.”

“We’ve taken control of Venezuela,” former President Donald Trump declared from Mar-a-Lago. “We will run it until the country is fixed—and that includes the oil.”

Trump’s Receivership Plan

Speaking to donors hours later, Trump outlined a receivership model: U.S. engineers would rebuild PDVSA’s crumbling refineries, crude exports would resume under Treasury licenses, and revenues—he claims—would fund a transitional authority supervised by American technocrats. Critics call it a modern-day protectorate; supporters argue any alternative is worse.

Global Fallout

• Caracas: Interim Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López vowed “asymmetric resistance,” but rank-and-file troops surrendered en masse after U.S. cyber units severed military communications.
• Beijing: China’s Foreign Ministry demanded an “immediate withdrawal,” citing violations of UN Charter Article 2(4).
• Moscow: The Kremlin labeled the incursion “state terrorism,” yet with forces tied down in Ukraine, options appear limited.
• Oil Markets: Brent crude jumped 7 % to $91.40/bbl on fears of prolonged outages; U.S. gasoline futures hit a seven-month high.

Humanitarian Stakes

Seven million Venezuelans already depend on food aid. The U.N. warns that a bombing campaign on ports and pipelines could tip the nation into famine. Aid groups are pleading for humanitarian corridors before the next phase of U.S. operations begins.

What Happens Next

Congress remains in recess; the White House has invoked post-9/11 war powers, bypassing the need for immediate legislative approval. Sources on Capitol Hill predict closed-door briefings as early as tomorrow, but for now, the fate of 28 million Venezuelans—and one of the world’s largest proven oil reserves—rests in American hands.