What I’ve found so far: CNN has a team present in Caracas and witnessed the strikes.
- 7 explosions reported - likely missile strikes to disable air defense
- 2 (correction: many more) smoke plumes reported - likely from sites struck with missiles
- a flight of helicopters which could be MH60 Sea Hawk - nothing very impressive, a random civilian filmed them going low and slow, MANPADS fodder but it seems they got lucky on that leg of the run
(Some X account posted footage from the Iranian attack on Israel and claimed it to be Venezuela.)
Opinion:
So it’s international agression then. Taking out air defense and inserting helicopters over the capital of another country is generally considered an act of war. I guess Trump thinks he needs a war for some reason. It might be smart to prevent him from getting a full-scale one - and the next best thing that might dissuade him might be casualties.
An extremely unpleasant side effect: unless Maduro stumbles and falls really quick, he’s pretty much legitimizing Maduro and causing his supporters to consolidate around him. In the game of diplomacy, that’s not the right move.
Some other countries would certainly benefit from Trump getting bogged down anywhere, in any country. Especially a large and technically sophisticated country which wants to annex an island well known for its electronic products would approve of the US going on adventures in random places and getting bogged down.
a flight of helicopters which could be MH60 Sea Hawk - nothing very impressive, a random civilian filmed them going low and slow, MANPADS fodder but it seems they got lucky on that leg of the run
It seems like those helicopters carried special forces that are now on the ground and doing what they are there to do.
It seems like those helicopters carried special forces that are now on the ground and doing what they are there to do.
It actually seems they hit the jackpot - they claim to have taken Maduro prisoner and claim to have taken him out of the country.
If all of that is true, I’m still not sure if I’m impressed by the operation. A loose grid of guys with shoulder-launched missiles on a few rooftops could have ruined absolutely all of it.
But if they got in without getting shot down, got Maduro and got out without getting shot down, then luck favoured them and war will hopefully not ensue.
Maduro had likely built everything on personal loyalty to himself. A normal country would continue fighting and delegate authority downward, but Maduro wasn’t running a normal country, apparently.
Seems like everything went smooth and that Maduro is gone from power now. It is good that Maduro is gone but we’ll see what happens with Venezuela now, hopefully it becomes better but I’m far from certain about that.
Since I find that my own optimism was premature (I should cross out my last paragraph), I will cool your optimism too. As much as I currently understand, Maduro is gone, but the ministers of interior and defense, and the vice president, are fine. The figurehead is gone, the regime is armed and retains power.
Didn’t Trump say that US will take control over Venezuela for now? In that case I assume the regime will fall. But he says a lot of things, so who knows what that means? Maybe he made a deal with the vice president etc. that they can rule as long as he gets some money from the oil.
Trump is good friends with Saudis. The Saudis bring in billions every day because of their oil. Trump covets that, and wishes he had that.
Venezuela is sitting above the largest oil deposit on the planet. Trump wants it. If he can control Venezuela, he can control that oil, and be as rich as the Saudis.
It’s always easy with Trump. Just follow the money.
Not always. Sometimes Trumps motivation is using the adoration of the crowd to fill the hole in his heart from not being love enough as a child. Expect him to be peacocking around in front of news cameras expecting everyone to gush over him.
Can’t forget the need for petty revenge. He is a small, petty man.
Valid.
Valid.
I guess Trump thinks he needs a war for some reason
Nah, at least one 😆
a flight of helicopters which could be MH60 Sea Hawk
In the videos I saw, the helicopters were twin-rotor design. Some variant of the CH-47 Chinook.
Maduro has been kidnapped by US forces, this is insane
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Hypernormalization is our enemy. This has never stopped being insane, but the intensity intensifies intensely by the day
No it’s still insane, just common and expected.
Don’t forget the ungodly amounts of money that were probably laundered through his casinos. How large a cut do you think he got?
Zero tears for Maduro tho
Might as well be commenting “he was no angel though” on a post about George Floyd
I don’t see the comparison
He made a deal with Trump. Maduro has abandoned venezuela. You can’t capture a national leader this easily unless they’re compliant
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You do when you have our military.
I don’t think “come or die” is really a deal.
Trump gets:
- Venezuelan oil and mineral wealth
- cheap labour of Venezuelan people under occupation
- PR win at a time when his approval is at an all time low
- distraction from the Epstein files
Maduro gets:
- to a escape a long and bloody war he’d probably lose
- a cushy life in Florida with a new identity
- safety for his family
- escaping trial for anything he might have done during his presidency
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It’ll be weird to watch. He just pardoned a convicted cartel boss that was the leader of a nation with the excuse that the leader of a nation wouldn’t be involved in drug trafficking or murder.
It’ll be a three ring circus and he’ll probably lose since he can’t even manage to successfully prosecute a single immigrant.
How does trump get oil and minerals? He doesn’t, because Venezuela is still an independent country and is not occupied by the USA.
The replacement is little more than a US puppet. She will be indebted to Trump for as long as he remains in office, be it three more years, or for the rest of his life.
They will be electing a new president/government.
That has technically already happened. Maduro just refused to transfer power.
As far at the PR goes, Trump doesn’t need PR anymore. His idiot base are unshakable. If he can get convicted of multiple felonies and still get elected, and then the Epstein files drop and implicate him and he still doesn’t get brought up on impeachment charges, then there’s no social ramifications for him any longer. Congress and the courts will protect him from run-of-the-mill abuses of power and scandals that would otherwise be devastating to a normal political figure. About the only thing he’s in danger of is letting people starve, which will cause mass riots. As long as he can avoid total economic collapse, he’ll be fine.
- How does trump get oil and minerals? He doesn’t, because Venezuela is still an independent country and is not occupied by the USA.
He has already claimed them and is talking more boots in the ground.
They are not occupied
Yet, you mean? I don’t know what to expect anymore, so nothing is out of the question
You get the oil and minerals because the next guy knows not to deny you when you ask
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that’s a major hit to their ability to fight back right? Even if he wasn’t collaborating losing a monolithic leader like would be a massive blow their ability to effectively resist.
Depends on whether anybody can quickly step in to fill the gap really
Nope.
https://apnews.com/live/trump-us-venezuela-updates-01-03-2026
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, would face charges after an indictment in New York.
Unless of course he made a deal and was immediately crossed.
There was also airplanes flying low over the city. I read that it was 7 explosions and that the area without electricity is near a major military base.
So, another 20 year boondoggle like Afghanistan and Iraq?
He’ll write an EO saying any troops will be out in 2029 so that IF Dems are in power then they’ll have to figure a way to clean up.
It’s trump. He’ll find a way to f it up in months.
The MeidasTouch Network has footage of all of this on their channel. Fucking insane shit, Trump has started an invasion without the approval of Congress.
US has been manufacturing consent for this for 20+ years.
I bet it’s a special military operation not an invasion
I wonder why we haven’t been read in via Signal yet?
Congress please dear god grow a spine.
Trump wouldn’t have won either election if congress had a spine.
(emoluments for example).
Congress was with him, even when they impeached him (and didn’t actually convict).
Without congress, Trump wouldn’t be possible. No functioning government would have him as President.
you don’t get to be a politician if you have a spine
Grow a spine? They’re entirely complicit. Democracy theater at its best.
I use this time in the morning to ease into my day. 5 am here in Western North Carolina. What the fuck is wrong with America? I am sick to my stomach right now.
Then do something?
Like what?
What the fuck is wrong with America?
Same as always. Not the first time you invade or sabotage a foreign country in order to hide your crumbling internal issues.
Good point.
No to that user. This isn’t the “same as always”. The US just Pearl Harbored a country, and the excuse was “drug smugglers”.
Not the first time you invade or sabotage a foreign country in order to hide your crumbling internal issues.
This is what they were referring to though, and in that regard what is wrong with the us now is the same as with what was wrong with the us before.
But i do agree, the way the us did it this time is with a much bigger fuck you to international law and with much more idc what yall think to the international community.
The schoolyard bully is at it again. He wants their oil and he’s going to take it, from the weakest kids he can pick on.
Weakest? I thought he picked them because theyre the closest.
Al Jazeera live coverage
Vaush has launched an emergency stream, wouldnt have got this news if I didnt get the notification. Just went live. Probably a lot more left than most coverage you’ll see tonight.
Vaush is not left.
“VaUsH BaD” 🙄
Okay? Yes. That’s what I said. He is a grifter that uses left wing talking points to gain internet clout. He is certainly not a leftist.
Is that the guy that had to make an apology video after accidentally showing his porn folder containing borderline illegal porn and being outed as sexually harassing his discord members? Is it that Vaush?
I hate my country. I hope class consciousness accelerates under Trump’s shit management of the US so working class people can oust his ass. The US CANNOT be the world’s bully for another century.
It’s time for this empire to fall.
I can’t help but think that this is gonna be my home city of Montréal soon. Better prepare, I guess.
Is the oil safe? I stand with Washington! Someone please tell me what flag I need to put on my X account, thanks!
You forgot to mention grok.
