In the early morning hours of Saturday morning, Americans got wind of the massive U.S. military incursion into Venezuela by land, sea, and air. The attack, which came at about 1 a.m. Eastern Standard Time and 2 a.m. Caracas time, lasted two hours and 28 minutes from the moment the Army 160th Night Stalkers got Delta Operators to the Nicolás Maduro compound after a screaming ride just 100 feet above the ocean until the moment they got "feet wet" with Maduro and his wife aboard the USS Iwo Jima, a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship.
President Trump and his national security team watched the two-hour and 28-minute operation in real time and a White House photographer recorded it. President Trump posted the photos on his TruthSocial account.
The first word of the successful mission came from President Trump shortly after the mission wrapped in the wee hours of Saturday morning.
Trump wrote:
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. This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement. Details to follow. There will be a News Conference today at 11 A.M., at Mar-a-Lago. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP
Soon thereafter, Trump posted an incredible video of the 160th Night Stalkers flying low over Caracas.
Impressive: Venezuela: What It Took to Pull Off 'An Assault Like People Have Not Seen Since World War II'
You can see the munitions fire in the background. The helos came under attack and one of them was hit, but it maintained airworthiness and finished the mission. Drones issued suppression fire to keep the bad guys down while Delta took their leader, arrested him, and put him aboard the Iwo Jima.
The video is set to the tune of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Son."
At his Mar-a-Lago compound, Trump's national security team surrounded him, including National Security Adviser and Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan "Raizin'" Caine, Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Homeland Security Advisor, Stephen Miller, and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, among many others who were involved in the planning and execution of Operation Absolute Resolve, the op to bag Maduro.
According to Air Force General and Joint Chiefs Chairman Caine, the CIA, NSA, and NGA worked jointly to determine Maduro's pattern of life, to determine where Delta would be deployed. As I noted in Venezuela: What It Took to Pull Off 'An Assault Like People Have Not Seen Since World War II,' Caine said they knew where Maduro was, what he ate, and what his dog looked like in advance of the op.
This secure operations room at Mar-a-Lago once again belies special counsel Jack Smith's claims that Trump had no secure place to put his declassified documents when he helmed the raid on the president's Palm Beach home. Maybe the so-called special counsel can be housed someday next to Maduro at a U.S. lock-up.
After Midnight Hammer, Raizin' Caine Does It Again: Here's How They Did It
Caine and Hegseth stayed close to their laptops during the operation to get the latest interpretation of events.
I'm a sucker for a good black and white shot.
As I reported, "Caine described the assets used in what he called 'an apprehension' operation that was 'discreet, precise, and conducted during the darkest hours of January 2nd and was the culmination of months of planning and rehearsal.'"
Things got hairy during the op. A few prayers were sent up. Caine gave the troops President Trump's message, "'Good luck and Godspeed.' And those words were transmitted to the entire joint force," Caine said after the operation.
And then they waited.
And watched.
And now Maduro, the illegitimate president of Venezuela, who sent prisoners, gang members and drugs to undermine the U.S., is in custody.
Just a thought, but after the Iran Operation Midnight Hammer, and now this Operation Absolute Resolve, it seems to me that the general and his staff could use a raise. What a complete difference between this general and Gen. Mark Milley.
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