Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil demanded proof of President Nicolás Maduro's life and the immediate return of Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores between 12:45 p.m. and 1:15 p.m. UTC on January 3, 2026, holding the United States and President Trump responsible for their physical integrity, according to teleSURtv statements. Gil stated Venezuela is taking actions at the United Nations level, per teleSURtv reports shared in the 30-minute reporting window. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed Maduro and Flores' indictment in the Southern District of New York on narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machineguns, and related charges, stating they will face American justice following their capture by U.S. military in Caracas, according to her X post. Geo-confirmed imagery showed destruction of a Buk air defense system at La Carlota Air Base in Caracas at coordinates 10.4879408, -66.8430660, per X user COUPSURE citing GeoConfirmed. Regime television broadcast images of damage at the base after U.S. bombing, according to NoticiaVN on X. Venezuelans celebrated in Doral and Miami, Florida, singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" and chanting "USA, USA," per CNN en Español video shared by CrannofonixNews on X. Similar celebrations occurred in Santiago, Chile, as shown on BBC, according to Faytuks on X. U.S. Rep. Carlos Giménez thanked President Trump for the operation, calling it the hemisphere's equivalent of the Berlin Wall's fall, per his X post. Rep. María Elvira Salazar declared Maduro's regime ended and urged Venezuelan military to stand with the people and enable power transfer, according to her X statement. A Colombian source said the U.S. gave no advance warning of the Venezuela operation, per SerbinPont on X.
