JUST IN: Dramatic Images Emerge From Trump Admin Situation Room During Maduro Operation

The Trump Administration has released images from a secure command room located at President Donald Trump’s Mar-A-Lago estate, during the daring operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro on Saturday morning.

A series of photos show several senior Trump cabinet officials, including War Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan “Raizin” Caine monitoring the operation as it was ongoing.

One photo shows President Trump and Secretary Rubio watching the operation as it unfolded. This matches the president’s statements during his Mar-A-Lago press conference, when he said he was able to monitor the operation as if he was watching it on television.

President Donald Trump and senior administration officials watch the raid from a secure command room at Mar-A-Lago

The official codename for the operation — which was conducted in the early hours of January 3, 2026 — was Operation Absolute Resolve. It involved a large-scale strike on Venezuela, culminating in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.

The strikes began early in the morning with airstrikes targeting Venezuelan air defenses and military installations in Caracas and other locations, including reported hits on bases like Fuerte Tiuna and La Carlota. These precision strikes, which included seven blasts lasting less than 30 minutes, were designed to neutralize threats and create a safe corridor for ground forces, General Caine said during a press conference on Saturday afternoon.

After President Trump directly addressed service members participating in the raid, U.S. warplanes disabled radar systems and anti-aircraft batteries, allowing helicopters to penetrate the capital amid explosions and low-flying aircraft sightings.

War Secretary Pete Hegseth watches Operation Absolute Resolve alongside President Trump

The raid itself was a nighttime extraction mission that lasted approximately two hours and 20 minutes, involving around 150 aircraft and coordinated efforts from U.S. military branches, intelligence agencies, and the Department of Justice. After months of planning and rehearsals, special forces teams entered Caracas via helicopters and located Maduro based on carefully gathered intelligence.

One helicopter team came under fire during the operation, but Maduro and his wife reportedly surrendered without further resistance and were taken into custody. They were subsequently flown out of the country, with images later showing Maduro aboard the USS Iwo Jima en route to face U.S. charges related to drug trafficking and narco-terrorism.

Photo: Truth Social

American forces reported no fatalities or major equipment losses during the operation, though some personnel were wounded, one aircraft was hit but remained operational, and a helicopter sustained damage. Venezuelan casualty estimates remain unclear, with reports indicating an unknown number of deaths and injuries from the strikes.

President Trump announced during a press conference Saturday that the United States will be assisting Venezuela in setting up an interim government, as well as bringing in U.S. oil firms to revitalize the nation’s energy sector to the benefit of both the people of Venezuela and the United States.

“So we are going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition, and it has to be judicious, because that’s what we’re all about. We want peace, liberty and justice for the great people of Venezuela,” he said.

Trump added that U.S. forces are “there now” and will be remaining for the foreseeable future. “We’re not afraid of boots on the ground,” the president stressed.