As Americans awoke to the startling news of U.S. military actions in Venezuela, which resulted in the capture and extradition of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his spouse, Cilia Flores, speculation grows about whether the capture was facilitated by betrayal within Maduro’s closely-knit circle.

Among those in this influential group is Diosdado Cabello, currently serving as the minister of interior, justice, and peace. Cabello is often considered to hold power comparable to Maduro’s own.

Another key figure is Vladimir Padrino, who has long been at the helm of the nation’s Armed Forces, commanding significant influence. Despite both Cabello and Padrino swiftly denouncing the U.S. operations, their statements have so far lacked substance.

Diosdado Cabello (Getty Images)

Cabello now emerges as the clear successor to the Chavista movement, with Padrino and the military seemingly aligned with him; yet, intriguingly, the Venezuelan Armed Forces appeared to offer no opposition during the U.S. operation.

In an early morning video shared on X, Padrino lambasted the “criminal military aggression by the government of the United States…coming to strike with their missiles and rockets fired from combat helicopters in Fuerte Tuna, Caracas, and the states of Mirana, Aragua, and La Guaira.”

He repeated decades-old Hugo Chavez talking points, stating, “Venezuela rejects with all its strength the presence of these foreign troops which have only brought death, pain and destruction. This invasion represents the greatest tragedy that the country has suffered, which is motivated by an insatiable greed for our strategic resources.”

Vladimir Padrino Lopez, Venezuela’s defense minister, speaks during a press conference accompanied by the military high command at the Ministry of Defense in Caracas, Venezuela, on Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019. (Carlos Becerra/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

With a $50 million bounty on Maduro’s head, considerable domestic unpopularity, and the disputed 2024 election which the international community widely discredited as stolen, the writing appeared on the wall for Nicolas Maduro for years.

Now, Maduro and Flores are reportedly guests of the United States government on the warship Iwo Jima, bound for New York to face what is likely to be the trial of the decade. Maduro is facing weapons and drug charges.

The Venezuelan head of the Economic Inclusion Group, Jorge Jraissati, lauded the operation:

“If everything goes well, this could open a new era of peace in Venezuela. For too long, Maduro has been a cancer for Venezuela and the region. It has turned Venezuela into an authoritarian state…This would not have happened if Maduro had accepted his defeat in 2024. He should have left power peacefully.”

Yet, experts are wondering how the operation was undertaken so smoothly, without some level of complicity on the part of the Venezuelan regime.

Jraissati argued, “Trump’s ability to take Maduro quickly is an indicator that the U.S. had great intelligence on the ground. It shows that Venezuelans were actively cooperating with the Americans. It’s a huge win for the U.S.”

“Trump’s operation is not against the Venezuelan people; it is against those who oppress us. Against Maduro and his crooks, who turn our country into a humanitarian crisis.”

Delcy Rodriguez, the nation’s current vice president and presumptive successor to Maduro, demanded a “proof of life” of Maduro on X, and is now the subject of intense speculation as to her whereabouts. Reports say she is currently in Russia, but Moscow has denied this. 

Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodriguez addresses the media in Caracas, Venezuela, on March 10, 2025.  (Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/Reuters)

Taking out Maduro without taking out the rest of the Chavista power structure could prove problematic. Diosdado Cabello and Vladimir Padrino would be unlikely to preside over democratic elections that they would likely lose. In such a scenario, they could put themselves and their fortunes at considerable risk.

What happens next?

Analysts will now be assessing who potentially was involved in the operation to capture Maduro, as well as whether Cabello or Padrino, or members of the Venezuelan military were involved, with reports of an entrenched CIA asset reporting on the whereabouts of Maduro.

As the future of Venezuela remains very much in doubt, every day Venezuelans scrambled to stock up on food and fuel. 

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado waves at the Grand Hotel in Oslo, Norway, early Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (Lise Åserud/NTB Scanpix via AP)

With Delcy Rodriguez as the de jure head of state, there is going to be an inevitable power struggle with Maria Corina Machado, recent winner of the Nobel Prize. It is widely believed that in any kind of free and fair election, she would win in a landslide. However, her current whereabouts are unknown, since leaving Norway in mid-December after receiving her award.

Venezuela experts know one thing: the Chavista movement will not go gently into the Caracas night.

Cabello, Padrino and other regime loyalists may stay to fight to the end, or they may seek to negotiate an exit to Havana and Moscow, the most logical choices.