How do you dismantle a regime overnight? Did the CIA literally just purchase the loyalty of Venezuela's generals to clear the path for extraction? And if the "drug bust" narrative is a smokescreen, is this actually a desperate, billion-dollar bid to save the petrodollar? To decode the mechanics of yesterday’s attack, I turned to someone who knows the intelligence machinery from the inside out. Ron Aledo isn't just an observer; as a retired US Army officer and former contractor analyst for the CIA and DIA, he dissects the operation with the precision of someone who knows exactly where the bodies—and the bribes—are buried.

With emotions running high, but with determination and great loyalty, the Venezuelan people mobilized in great numbers on Sunday from the Plaza de la Candelaria in Caracas to demand the release of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who were abducted by the US. | On an early January Sunday, when due to the season, public transit is very infrequent in the capital of Venezuela and when many holidaymakers have not returned to the city, thousands of Venezuelans flooded the streets showing the strength of Chavismo, the political force that supports the Bolivarian Revolution. As evidenced by photos and video footage, hundreds of thousands of civilians took to the streets, although of course, it is difficult to provide precise numbers. Such is the case of Norma Azuaje, who recalled the words of Commander Hugo Chávez and noted that the people are ready to defend the sovereignty of the nation. 🚩 “Chávez taught us that under any circumstances we will continue to have a homeland, and the message for our president is to hold on, this people will rise up, we are here standing ready to fight,” Azuaje said. With courage and commitment to the homeland, Vanessa Machado stated that the mobilized people will achieve the release of the national leader.

■ Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua Strongly Condemn US Neo-Colonial Military Attack Against Venezuela (Orinoco Tribune)
■ Brasil, Chile, Colombia, España, México y Uruguay rechazan un "control" sobre Venezuela (El Nacional)
■ 32 cubanos murieron durante la operación de EE UU para capturar a Nicolás Maduro (El Diario)
■ Maduro warns the world: US aggression transcends Venezuela (23 December, 2025)
✅ Venezuela and Truth (Craig Murray)

Michelle Ellner | Declaring the right to “run” another country is the language of occupation, regardless of how many times the word is avoided. | I listened to the January 3 press conference with a knot in my stomach. As a Venezuelan American with family, memories, and a living connection to the country being spoken about as if it were a possession, what I heard was very clear. And that clarity was chilling. ■ The president said, plainly, that the United States would “run the country” until a transition it deems “safe” and “judicious.” He spoke about capturing Venezuela’s head of state, about transporting him on a U.S. military vessel, about administering Venezuela temporarily, and about bringing in U.S. oil companies to rebuild the industry. He dismissed concerns about international reaction with a phrase that should alarm everyone: “They understand this is our hemisphere.” For Venezuelans, those words echo a long, painful history. ■ Let’s be clear about the claims made. The president is asserting that the U.S. can detain a sitting foreign president and his spouse under U.S. criminal law. That the U.S. can administer another sovereign country without an international mandate. That Venezuela’s political future can be decided from Washington. That control over oil and “rebuilding” is a legitimate byproduct of intervention. That all of this can happen without congressional authorization and without evidence of imminent threat. ■ We have heard this language before. In Iraq, the United States promised a limited intervention and a temporary administration, only to impose years of occupation, seize control of critical infrastructure, and leave behind devastation and instability. What was framed as stewardship became domination. Venezuela is now being spoken about in disturbingly similar terms. “Temporary Administration” ended up being a permanent disaster. ■ Under international law, nothing described in that press conference is legal. The UN Charter prohibits the threat or use of force against another state and bars interference in a nation’s political independence. Sanctions designed to coerce political outcomes and cause civilian suffering amount to collective punishment.

✅ Major Questions Finally Answered About Trump's Venezuelan Adventure (Simplicius)