US military invasion of Venezuela: How did we get here? (opens in new tab)

Firstly, what has happened? In the early hours of January 3, 2026, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and the Venezuelan first lady Cilia Flores were kidnapped and flown to the US through a US military operation which involved attacks on the Venezuelan military bases in Fuerte Tiuna in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas and four other key strategic bases. According to the Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek William Saab, 100 people, security personnel, soldiers and civilians, were killed by US ...