U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan “Razin” Caine said on Saturday that the United States’ execution of the operation to capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro was “months in the making.”

“This operation, known as Operation Absolute Resolve, was discreet, precise and conducted during the darkest hours of January 2, and was the culmination of months of planning and rehearsal — an operation that, frankly, only the United States military could undertake,” he said during a press conference.

Maduro, his wife, and four others have been charged with narco-terrorism conspiracy-related charges, according to an unsealed federal indictment posted online by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.

“While the past two decades have honed the skills of our special operations forces, this particular mission required every component of our joint force with soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and Guardians working in unison with our intelligence agency partners and law enforcement teammates in an unprecedented operation,” Gen. Caine explained.

“We leveraged our unmatched intelligence capabilities and our years of experience in hunting terrorists, and we could not have done this mission without the incredible work by various intelligence agencies, including the CIA, NSA, and NGA.”

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“This was an audacious operation that only the United States could do,” he continued. “It required the utmost of precision and integration within our joint force — and the word integration does not explain the sheer complexity of such a mission.”

The operation involved “150 aircraft launching across the Western Hemisphere in close coordination, all coming together in time and place to layer effects for a single purpose: to get an interdiction force into downtown Caracas while maintaining the element of tactical surprise,” Caine said.

“Failure of one component of this well-oiled machine would have endangered the entire mission, and failure is never an option for America’s joint force,” he added.

“Those in the air over Caracas last night were willing to give their lives for those on the ground and in the helicopters,” he added.

Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: “This operation, known as Operation Absolute Resolve, was discreet, precise, and… the culmination of months of planning and rehearsal — an operation that, frankly, only the United States military could undertake.” pic.twitter.com/VdcL5kbu7j

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 3, 2026

Related: ‘Hour Of Liberty Has Arrived’: Venezuelan Opposition Leader Machado Takes Spotlight

Rough translation of Maria Corina’s message:

Venezuelans, The HOUR OF LIBERTY has arrived!

As of today, Nicolás Maduro faces international justice for the atrocious crimes committed against Venezuelans and against citizens of many other nations. Faced with his refusal to… https://t.co/bzOKZ4KLyN

— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) January 3, 2026

President Trump said during an 11 a.m. presser that the U.S. is “going to run” Venezuela until “such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition,” The Daily Wire reported.

“It has to be judicious because that’s what we’re all about,” Trump said. “We want peace, liberty, and justice for the great people of Venezuela and that includes many from Venezuela that are now living in the United States and want to go back to their country. It’s their homeland.”

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“We can’t take a chance that somebody else takes over Venezuela that doesn’t have the good of the Venezuelan people in mind,” the president added. “We’ve had decades of that. We’re not going to let that happen. We’re there now and what people don’t understand, but they understand as I say this, we’re there now, but we’re going to stay until such time as the proper transition can take place. So we’re going to stay until such time we’re going to run it essentially until such time as a proper transition can take place.”

POTUS: “We are going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition…We want peace, liberty and justice for the great people of Venezuela and that includes many from Venezuela that are now living in the United States and want to go back… pic.twitter.com/DhyR64wfw8

— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) January 3, 2026

Notably, Trump seemed to question if Machado could lead the Venezuelan people, and suggested that the U.S. could be in control for a year or two, if not more.

“I think it’d be very tough for her to be the leader,” Trump said of Machado. “She doesn’t have the support or the respect within the country. She’s a very nice woman but she doesn’t have the respect.”

Trump on María Corina Machado: “I think it’d be very tough for her to be the leader. She doesn’t have the support or the respect within the country. She’s a very nice woman but she doesn’t have the respect.” pic.twitter.com/jps4NBKLfp

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 3, 2026

Related: LIVE UPDATES: Trump Says ‘We Are Going To Run’ Venezuela Until Further Notice