Regime-appointed governors of Bolívar, Yaracuy, and Táchira states voiced outrage over the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and affirmed they remain firmly in control of their respective states, according to X user ThomasVLinge reporting statements in the 29-minute window ending at 1:45 p.m. UTC on January 3, 2026. The governors' statements, shared via images on X, represent pushback from Maduro allies following his capture by U.S. military in Caracas, as confirmed earlier by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and other officials. Separate X posts in the same window claimed the Ayala and Bolívar battalions at Fuerte Tiuna military base were destroyed along with most armored units, and that two houses formerly occupied by Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores were bombed by U.S. forces, according to user jesusmedinae citing informal sources.
