On January 3rd, 2026, the United States attacked Venezuela and captured the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores. The operation, code-named Operation Absolute Resolve, began at 2 a.m. local time, when explosions were observed. The United States Armed Forces bombed infrastructure across Northern Venezuela and proceeded to attack Maduro’s residence located in Caracas.
Maduro and his wife were accused of allowing cocaine related corruption to spread for the benefit of themselves, members of their regime, and their family. Federal prosecutors alleged that since 1999, Venezuelan officials, including Maduro, have partnered with some of the most violent and prolific drug traffickers and narco-terrorists in the world, and used corrupt officials throughout the region, to distribute tons of cocaine to the United States.
The mission required months of secretive planning, which allowed the U.S. to maintain its element of surprise. During the summer of 2025, intelligence personnel began to track every aspect of Maduros’ life, helped by an asset within the Venezuelan leaders’ inner circle.
No numbers of deaths or injuries during the attack have been officially reported; however, anonymous Venezuelan officials reported to the New York Times that more than 80 people were killed during the attack, including 32 members of the Cuban Military and intelligence agencies, as reported by the Cuban Government.
Donald Trump stated that the U.S. would “run” Venezuela until there was an official transition of power, but these claims were contradicted by the Venezuelan Vice President, Delcy Rodríguez. “We will never again be a colony of any empire,” Rodríguez said.
As of Monday, Maduro and Flores have pleaded not guilty to their charges.
![Current map of one of the road improvement options for Highway 44 in Bullitt County, specifically from Bardstown Road to the Spencer County line. Many local residents voiced their opinions about the project, with both positives and negatives to it. “We’ve determined that we need at least four lanes of traffic [from Bardstown Road] to Bullitt East High School, and then past that, only two lanes of through traffic,” project manager James Maynard said in an interview with WLKY. “We need to find out from the public: Do you want roundabouts or do you want traditional widening of the center traffic to turn left?”](https://www.belivewire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/IMG_3998-1200x554.jpeg)
