Dramatic video filmed from a hillside overlooking Caracas shows the Venezuelan capital lit up by explosions and fires during U.S. airstrikes carried out on the night of January 3, 2026. The footage captures multiple detonations across the city skyline as flashes of light puncture the darkness, while Spanish-language audio records residents reacting with disbelief, panic, and urgency to document what they were witnessing.

The strikes were part of a large-scale U.S. military operation involving more than 150 aircraft, targeting key regime-linked sites tied to Nicolás Maduro’s control apparatus. The air campaign preceded and supported the successful capture of Maduro, who was subsequently transported to the United States and is now in custody in New York on long-standing federal charges related to drug trafficking, corruption, and narco-terrorism.

According to reports associated with the operation, the strikes were designed to neutralize command-and-control capabilities and prevent coordinated resistance during the extraction of the Venezuelan leader. While precise details remain classified, early assessments indicate significant damage to regime assets. Casualty figures reported by local sources cite at least 40 deaths, though the full toll remains under review amid the fog of rapidly unfolding events.

Audio from the video underscores the shock felt by civilians as explosions ripple across the city, with voices shouting warnings, calling others to look, and expressing disbelief that the capital itself was under attack. The scenes reflect the sudden collapse of a regime long viewed by Washington as a criminal enterprise operating behind the façade of a government.

President Trump later announced a temporary U.S. administrative role to stabilize conditions during the immediate aftermath, as several neighboring countries moved to close borders and international leaders voiced concern over regional stability. Supporters of the operation argue the decisive use of force prevented a prolonged conflict and sent a clear message to hostile regimes engaged in activities that threaten U.S. security and prosperity.

The footage now circulating online offers a rare visual record of a pivotal night that reshaped Venezuela’s political future and marked one of the most consequential U.S. military actions in the Western Hemisphere in decades.