Diosdado Cabello

Force in Play

Remains in power; controls police, intelligence, and Bolivarian Militia; claims no political prisoners exist

Seven weeks after U.S. special forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on January 3, 2026, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez has consolidated interim power through military loyalty pledges, oil privatization, and prisoner releases—while blocking democratic elections. On February 12, the National Assembly unanimously approved a general amnesty law covering political prisoners detained since 1999, which Rodríguez signed into law on February 20, potentially freeing over 600 detainees. However, the law excludes those convicted of inciting foreign military intervention, a provision that could bar opposition leader María Corina Machado from amnesty and prosecution. In an NBC News interview on February 12, Rodríguez pledged 'free and fair' elections but refused to set a timeline, conditioning them on Venezuela being 'free from sanctions' and international pressure. She also warned that Machado would 'have to answer to Venezuela' for calling for military intervention and sanctions—effectively signaling prosecution if Machado returns.

Updated Feb 20

Force in Play

Pledged police loyalty to Rodríguez government

Congress last declared war in 1942. Since then, presidents have ordered military strikes 212 times without formal declarations—but never quite like this. On January 3, 2026, U.S. special forces raided the Venezuelan capital, captured President Nicolás Maduro in his residence, and flew him to New York to face narcoterrorism charges. Eleven days later, Vice President JD Vance cast the deciding vote to kill a Senate resolution that would have required congressional authorization for further military action. Now, over a month after the raid, the operation faces mounting legal challenges: Maduro's defense team filed motions on February 4 questioning the federal court's jurisdiction over the extraordinary rendition case, while the International Court of Justice and UN human rights bodies have issued statements characterizing the operation as a violation of international law.

Updated Feb 6

Force in Play

Named in same indictment as Maduro but not captured; remains in Venezuela as one of regime's most powerful figures

At 2 a.m. on January 3, Delta Force operators dragged Nicolás Maduro and his wife from their bedroom in Caracas. Seven explosions rocked Venezuela's capital as US special forces helicopters evacuated the captured president to the USS Iwo Jima, bound for New York to face narco-terrorism charges. By Saturday afternoon, Maduro arrived at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn—the first American military capture of a sitting head of state since Manuel Noriega in 1989. Venezuela's Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello announced on January 7 that 100 people were killed in the operation, including Venezuelan military personnel, 32 Cuban forces, and civilians. Two US personnel were injured and one helicopter was hit. On January 5, Maduro and Flores pleaded not guilty before Judge Alvin Hellerstein, declaring 'I am innocent' and 'I am still the president of my country,' with their next court date set for March 17. On January 13, the Justice Department released a previously classified memo concluding the president possessed constitutional authority to order the military operation. By January 29, Venezuela's military and police formally pledged loyalty to interim President Delcy Rodríguez at a ceremony in Caracas.

Updated Jan 31