Overview
- President Donald Trump announced a large-scale U.S. operation in Venezuela and claimed Nicolás Maduro and his wife were detained and taken out of the country, with details pending.
- Multiple outlets reported explosions, aircraft overhead, and power outages in Caracas, with local reports citing strikes near military sites including Fort Tiuna and La Carlota, as the U.S. Embassy urged Americans to leave.
- CBS News, citing U.S. officials, reported that Delta Force carried out Maduro’s detention, while Venezuela’s defense minister announced widespread military deployments and emergency measures.
- Ukraine’s General Staff recorded 116 clashes on January 2 and reported new strikes on energy infrastructure, including a partial loss of external power at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.
- National security advisers from 15 European countries convened in Kyiv to review full texts of peace‑framework documents ahead of a January 6 leaders’ meeting in Paris, as Zelensky and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer coordinated next steps.