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Venezuela’s defense chief says an overnight operation to capture President Nicolás Maduro left a significant part of his security detail and several civilians dead—an escalation with Washington that, if confirmed, would reshape the region’s security calculus.

This was reported by the Infohub.kz news agency.

What officials say

Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López delivered the statement on Sunday, January 4, 2026, during an address on state broadcaster VTV, according to reports citing RIA Novosti. He linked the casualties to a January 3 raid that targeted the president and his wife, Cilia Flores, saying both members of the presidential guard and “innocent civilians” were among the dead.

Casualty figures remain unclear

Media outlets, citing a senior Venezuelan official, reported that at least 40 people—both military personnel and civilians—may have been killed. Those figures have not been independently verified, and officials warned that the toll could change as more information emerges.

How the raid unfolded

American officials said more than 150 aircraft were deployed to suppress Venezuela’s air defenses before helicopters inserted a special operations team around 02:00 local time for an assault on Maduro’s residence in Caracas. Subsequent reports claimed the president was transferred to a detention facility in Brooklyn; this, too, has not been independently corroborated.

International reaction and next steps

U.S. President Donald Trump referenced the 1823 Monroe Doctrine in comments seen as a warning to Washington’s adversaries. The United Nations Security Council scheduled an emergency session on Venezuela for Monday, January 5, to address the rapidly evolving situation.

What we don’t know yet

Key details—including the precise death toll, the identities of those killed, and the full sequence of events—remain uncertain. Conflicting statements from official sources are likely to be clarified in the coming days as investigations proceed.