US Conducted Operation Resolve in Venezuela. Here’s What Satellite Images Reveal

New satellite images confirm significant damage to Venezuela’s main military complex following US airstrikes conducted as part of Operation Absolute Resolve, aimed at detaining Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

According to Business Insider military correspondent Jake Epstein, satellite imagery from the defense analytics firm Vantor reveals the extent of destruction at the Fuerte Tiuna complex in Caracas.

Images dated December 22 and January 3 show multiple storage facilities, checkpoints, and military vehicles destroyed, including key air defense systems.

The US Department of Defense has not commented on specific targets, but the visual data suggest that strikes were concentrated on sites associated with Venezuela’s Ministry of Defense and high-level command infrastructure. Among the assets confirmed destroyed is a Buk-M2EK surface-to-air missile system located at the La Carlota airbase.

The active phase of the operation began late on January 2 and continued into the morning of January 3, involving a coordinated deployment of US Air Force assets including fighter jets, reconnaissance aircraft, drones, and strategic bombers.

The primary objective of this initial phase, according to Business Insider, was to neutralize Venezuelan air defenses.

Vantor’s imagery indicates that the disabling of air defense installations allowed for the subsequent deployment of helicopter assault teams directly into the fortified zone of Fuerte Tiuna.

According to Business Insider, this enabled the US military to complete the capture of Maduro within 30 minutes, without reported US casualties.

The Pentagon has acknowledged the operation but has not disclosed further details on the current status of Venezuelan leadership or follow-up plans.

Earlier, on January 3, 2026, US forces destroyed a Russian-supplied Buk-M2E surface-to-air missile system at La Carlota airbase in Caracas. The system had been deployed to protect strategic sites around the capital and was part of Venezuela’s broader air defense network expanded in late 2025.

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