Picture of fire at Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela's largest military complex, after a series of explosions in Caracas on January 3, 2026. Loud explosions, accompanied by sounds resembling aircraft flyovers, were heard in Caracas around 2:00 am (0600 GMT) on January 3, an AFP journalist reported. Photo: VCG

After the US military strikes on Venezuela on Saturday, which reportedly led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Chinese military affairs experts analyzed how the US Delta Force carried out the mission, while stressing the illegality of the US invasion of a sovereign state.

US President Donald Trump claimed Saturday in a Truth Social post that Venezuelan President Maduro and his wife were captured and flown out of Venezuela, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote that "The United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country." He said the operation was conducted "in conjunction with US Law Enforcement," adding that further details would follow. Trump also announced that a news conference would be held at 11 am local time at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.

According to CBS News, the Venezuelan president was captured early Saturday morning by members of the US Army's elite Delta Force, the US military's top special mission unit, citing US officials. The report also noted that the unit previously carried out the 2019 mission that killed former Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Trump’s claims came after multiple explosions rocked Venezuela's capital Caracas early on Saturday and columns of black smoke and aircraft could be seen, according to Reuters witnesses and images circulating on social media.

A power outage affected the southern area of the city, near a major military base, witnesses said.

Citing videos emerging on social media, the War Zone, a US media outlet specialized in defense, reported that 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment MH-47 Chinook helicopters (and what appear to likely be MH-60s) flew over Caracas as several explosions erupt in the background.

The strikes follow months of US military buildup in the region, with the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier and numerous other warships positioned in the Caribbean, CBS News reported.

In recent weeks the US has seized two oil tankers off the coast of Venezuela, launched deadly strikes on more than 30 boats the administration says were carrying drugs, and struck what President Trump called "the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs," according to the US media report.

Wang Yunfei, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times on Saturday that the seemingly relatively smooth US military operation could be partially because of the initial air strikes and possible electronic warfare attacks that sabotaged and jammed the Venezuelan air force and air defense capabilities, allowing US helicopters carrying Delta Force units to conduct airborne operations and penetrate Maduro’s residence. He added that the Delta Force units involved are experienced elite operators.

Venezuela’s defense capabilities could be vulnerable facing the US, especially when having intelligence about his whereabouts, according to Wang.

Zhang Junshe, another Chinese military affairs expert, also highlighted the potential intelligence advantages of the US side. He noted that the US has a history of using its agencies such as the CIA to gather intelligence, including buying over military commanders or officials with knowledge about the mission objective.

From a military operational point of view, other militaries around the world will likely see the latest US military operation as a case study, Zhang told the Global Times. “The US has repeatedly conducted similar military operations to overthrow regimes. Such operations are not just tactical operations, but they have deep political and strategic implications,” Zhang said.

The US operation on Venezuela is a move of invading a sovereign state, which violates the international law, Zhang stressed.

China is deeply shocked by and strongly condemns the US’ blatant use of force against a sovereign state and action against its president. Such hegemonic acts of the US seriously violate international law and Venezuela’s sovereignty, and threaten peace and security in Latin America and the Caribbean region. China firmly opposes it, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson made the remarks on the US military strikes on Venezuela on Saturday night. 

“We call on the US to abide by international law and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and stop violating other countries’ sovereignty and security,” said the spokesperson.