Mike Baker

According to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Kaine, the operation had been in development for months and relied on a close integration of intelligence collection and military planning.

U.S.

intelligence services, Cain said, had been tracking Maduro closely throughout that period.

Now, falling in the category of for what it's worth, from my perspective, this would undoubtedly have included recruited assets inside the Venezuelan government and military.

The operation, known as Absolute Resolve, began early Saturday morning with a large-scale bombing campaign.

Explosions were reported across Caracas and surrounding areas, with aircraft operating at low altitude.

Multiple facilities tied to Venezuela's military and internal security services were hit.

Targets included communications hubs, command and control nodes, and air defense systems.

power was reportedly knocked out across much of the city during the opening phase.

General Kane said approximately 150 aircraft were involved in the operation, including bombers and surveillance platforms, fighter jets, helicopters, and remotely piloted drones.

Those aircraft launched from roughly 20 different air bases across the hemisphere.

One aircraft was reportedly struck during the operation but remained flyable and returned safely to base.

Then, at approximately 1 a.m.

Eastern Time, U.S.

Special Forces descended into downtown Caracas.

They assaulted what was described as a heavily fortified location where President Maduro and his wife, Cecilia Flores, were believed to be sheltering.

According to U.S.

officials, both were captured without significant resistance.

The pair were then transported to the USS Iwo Jima, a US maybe amphibious assault ship, essentially a floating helicopter base, currently operating in the Caribbean.

General Kane said the entire operation from the opening strikes to extraction lasted roughly two hours and 20 minutes.