As of January 6, 2026, sure, the US beneath President Donald Trump has performed a serious navy operation towards a rustic in 2026: Venezuela.
On January 3, 2026, U.S. forces launched airstrikes on targets in Caracas and different places in Venezuela, adopted by a particular operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his spouse, Cilia Flores. They had been flown to the US to face long-standing drug trafficking and narco-terrorism costs.
President Trump introduced the operation from Mar-a-Lago, describing it as a hit with overwhelming U.S. navy energy and stating that the U.S. would briefly “run” Venezuela to stabilize it and grant American firms entry to its oil sources. He additionally warned of potential additional strikes if remaining Venezuelan officers don’t cooperate.
This motion has drawn widespread worldwide condemnation, together with from allies and adversaries alike, who name it a violation of worldwide regulation, sovereignty, and the UN Constitution. Nations similar to Brazil, China, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, Russia, and others denounced it on the UN Safety Council as a “crime of aggression.”
The U.S. framed the operation as regulation enforcement tied to indictments towards Maduro, evaluating it to previous actions just like the 1989 invasion of Panama.
Further Context on U.S. Army Actions
In late 2025 and early 2026, the Trump administration has additionally performed airstrikes in a number of different nations, together with:
- Yemen (towards Houthi rebels, beginning in 2025)
- Somalia
- Syria
- Iraq
- Iran (targets)
- Nigeria
However the Venezuela operation stands out as essentially the most direct intervention towards a sovereign authorities’s management in 2026 thus far.
Trump has moreover made public threats of potential navy motion towards different nations, together with Mexico (to focus on drug cartels), Colombia, Cuba, and even reiterated curiosity in Greenland, however no strikes have been reported there as of now.
This marks a big escalation in U.S. overseas coverage early in Trump’s second time period.