In the early hours of Saturday 3rd January 2026, the U.S. military carried out a high-intensity operation in Venezuela that involved air strikes targeting military and civilian sites in at least four states, namely Caracas, Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira.
It has been reported that the operation involved more than 150 aircraft launched from 20 bases around the Western Hemisphere, including F-35 and F-22 fighter jets, and B-1 bombers.
During the military operation, President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were abducted by a U.S. special operations squad called Delta Force from a heavily fortified compound in the capital and subsequently flown to New York city where they are being held in custody. They have been indicted on a number of alleged charges including “narco-terrorism” conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy and possession of machine guns.
An estimated total of 80 people were killed during the military operation, comprising a large number of the president’s security detail and dozens of civilians.
U.S. destabilisation campaign
Until recently, U.S. sanctions targeting Venezuelan oil have been a core element of U.S. policy towards Venezuela since 2017, especially under combined Trump-era directives. These sanctions have involved the blacklisting of the state-owned oil company Petroleos de Venezuela, SA (PDVSA), together with restricting the shipment of diluents required for the refining of Venezuela’s heavy crude oil.
These sanctions have severely restricted Venezuela’s oil production and adversely effected the country’s industrial performance. In conjunction with government corruption and political repression, these sanctions, in particular, have significantly contributed to economic hardship, a refugee crisis and civil unrest.
In January 2025, the U.S. raised its maximum rewards for information leading to the arrest or conviction of President Nicolás Maduro and Interior Secretary Diosdado Cabelloto to $US25 million. As well, a maximum reward of $US15 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez was announced at the same time.
In recent months, the Trump administration has also intensified its unethical and illegal destabilisation campaign against the Maduro government, accusing the president of leading a “narco-terrorist organisation”.
Since September, the U.S. military has also carried out air strikes on Venezuelan boats, resulting in at least 114 deaths. Despite failing to produce any substantial evidence, the White House continues to claim that these boats were trafficking drugs to the U.S.
In addition, the U.S. military has seized oil tankers carrying Venezuelan oil and, most recently, the CIA carried out a strike on a Venezuelan dock.
Primary objective
The Trump administration’s primary objective in abducting Maduro was to signal U.S. dominance in the Western hemisphere and thereby to coerce other states into doing Washington’s bidding. Pressure is now mounting on Caracus to give U.S. oil companies access to the country’s oil assets and reserves.
The U.S. has a long shameful history of trying to dominate countries in Latin America and the Caribbean via military force with devastating consequences. Examples include the overthrow of Guatemala’s government in 1954, the Bay of Pigs invasion in Cuba in 1961, the invasion of Grenada in 1983, support for the Nicaraguan Contras during the 1980s and the invasion of Panama in 1989.
The strategy of using military might to dominate the region has generally failed in the past and is unlikely to succeed today. Rather than hegemonic stability and regional prosperity, the outcome is more likely to generate anti-Americanism and regional instability.
Appointment of Vice President Delcy Rodriguez to serve as interim president
Immediately following the kidnapping of Maduro and his wife, the constitutional chamber of Venezuela’s Supreme Court appointed Vice President Delcy Rodriguez to serve as interim president. She has been directed to “guarantee administrative continuity and the comprehensive defence of the nation” pending the formation of a future legal framework.
In a televised speech, Delcy Rodriguez described the U.S. action as an act of aggression, demanded the immediate release of Maduro and his wife, and urged Venezuelan citizens to unite in defence of their sovereignty.
In response, Trump threatened the interim Venezuelan leader by saying that “if she doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro.” This is the most recent example of the mafia’s ‘godfather principle’ at play where defiance of the U.S. cannot be tolerated.
UN Charter’s prohibition on the threat or use of force
The U.S. attack on Venezuela is a clear breach of the UN Charter. A key provision of this charter, known as article 2(4), stipulates that states must refrain from using military force against other countries and must respect their sovereignty.
As such, the Trump administration’s attack on Venezuela violates the UN Charter since it commits the crime of aggression which has been described as the “supreme international crime” defined at the Nuremberg trials.
The attack could only have been considered lawful in light of a UN Security Council resolution or if the U.S. was acting in self-defence. However, not only was there no UN resolution but there is absolutely no evidence that the U.S. was subject to imminent attack by Venezuela’s armed forces.
Widespread condemnation
In the immediate aftermath of the U.S. attack, five Latin American countries, together with Spain, issued a joint statement and warned against any attempt by the U.S. administration to “control” Venezuela after Trump suggested that the U.S. would “run” the country and access its oil.
On Sunday, protests were held in many Australian cities to condemn U.S. military actions against Venezuela.
In Sydney, around 300 people demonstrated outside the Town Hall in George Street, despite a NSW police prohibition on public demonstrations made in late December using laws rushed through parliament by the Minns government following the Bondi shootings on 14th December 2025.
In Melbourne, around 200 people gathered on the steps of Melbourne’s Flinders Street station to express their opposition to the U.S. military intervention.