The White House on Saturday circulated an account suggesting that U.S. forces may have used advanced and previously undisclosed weaponry during the operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro earlier this month.
On January 3, U.S. military strikes and a special operations raid in Caracas resulted in the capture of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. They were transported to the United States to face federal charges. President Trump confirmed the large-scale operation, stating that no U.S. troops were killed, though several service members were injured and are recovering.
According to an account shared publicly by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, a Venezuelan security guard described dramatic moments from the raid.
The witness said radar and communications systems suddenly shut down before large numbers of drones appeared overhead. Shortly afterward, a small number of helicopters arrived, deploying what he estimated to be about 20 U.S. soldiers. He described the troops as highly advanced and unlike any force he had encountered before.
Stop what you are doing and read this…
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 https://t.co/v9OsbdLn1q— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) January 10, 2026
The guard claimed Venezuelan forces were quickly overwhelmed by the precision and speed of U.S. firepower. He said the situation escalated when an unknown device was deployed, which he described as a powerful sound-based or wave-like weapon. According to his account, the effect caused intense pain, nosebleeds, vomiting, and disorientation, leaving defenders unable to stand or fight.
He said hundreds of Venezuelan soldiers and security personnel were incapacitated or killed, while the U.S. forces completed the operation without suffering a single fatality.
The White House did not officially confirm the use of a sonic or directed-energy weapon, and no independent verification of the specific technology described has been released. The administration has not provided technical details about the weapons used during the mission.
An insider from Venezuela’s security forces says US troops were like nothing they’d ever seen — overwhelming firepower, advanced tech, total dominance. After Trump’s Fox News warning on taking on the cartels, Latin America is watching how powerful US forces truly are. 🇺🇸🇻🇪”
— Anttsinc (@anttsinc) January 9, 2026
Some observers have suggested the account may be exaggerated or intended as propaganda, while others note that reports of advanced U.S. military capabilities are spreading rapidly throughout Latin America. Venezuelan officials claim more than 100 security personnel were killed during the operation.
President Trump defended the mission by pointing to longstanding federal indictments against Maduro. A federal grand jury in the Southern District of New York charged Maduro, his wife, and several associates with narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess those weapons.
Maduro pleaded not guilty during his arraignment earlier this week.