What happened

US forces struck Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda air base ('La Carlota') in Caracas on 2-3 January 2026 as part of Operation Absolute Resolve, the US military operation connected to the capture of Nicolas Maduro. Post-operation imagery confirmed the use of AGM-88 anti-radiation missiles and AGM-154C JSOW glide bombs against Buk-M2E air-defense systems positioned at the base, rather than against aircraft; a nearby facility, Higuerote Airport, was struck on the same basis. Reviewed reporting (The War Zone) states neither facility is known to host fighter aircraft and that the strikes targeted ground-based air defenses specifically, distinguishing this from strikes on three other Venezuelan airfields reportedly held in contingency reserve in case fighters attempted to scramble, which were not struck. This record introduces the January 2026 Venezuela operation as a further conflict dimension in the site's airbase/airport-strike coverage.

When cited sources give different casualty, damage or spill figures for this event, they’re reported side by side above rather than merged into one number. See how confidence levels work.