On January 3, a large-scale U.S. military operation took place in Caracas, during which Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores were seized. In the hours that followed, questions emerged about what this operation was intended to achieve—and what it ultimately set in motion.
In this interview, Venezuela’s former foreign minister Jorge Arreaza provides a firsthand account of how the operation unfolded, why he believes it violated international law, and why it did not result in a regime change despite its scale. He describes the political situation in the country after the abduction, the role of Delcy Rodríguez, and how Venezuela is responding to renewed pressure from Washington. Arreaza also places these events in a broader geopolitical context and explains why, in his view, the conflict extends far beyond Venezuela itself.
This video was produced by The Grayzone and published on their YouTube channel on the 8th of January, 2026.
To read the transcript of this video, click here: ‘There was no regime change’ -Venezuela’s ex-FM Jorge Arreaza on US kidnapping raid
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Jorge Arreaza is a Venezuelan diplomat and former foreign minister. He held several ministerial positions and represented Venezuela in international forums, including the United Nations.
Max Blumenthal is an award-winning journalist and the author of several books, including best-selling Republican Gomorrah, Goliath, The Fifty One Day War, and The Management of Savagery. He has produced print articles for an array of publications, many video reports, and several documentaries, including Killing Gaza. Blumenthal founded The Grayzone in 2015 to shine a journalistic light on America’s state of perpetual war and its dangerous domestic repercussions.
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