Facts are technically correct but framed in a way that likely leads to a wrong impression. Learn more in Methodology.
DoD/State/Justice releases, operational summaries, or other official records document military strikes/operations in Venezuela supporting an arrest operation and describe targets engaged to protect arresting personnel.
Evidence shows the operation to capture Nicolás Maduro involved a very large, multi-domain U.S. military assault, not merely a narrowly "limited" protective action for arresting agents. Official descriptions from the Joint Chiefs and reporting by major outlets say more than 150 aircraft from 20 bases conducted a "large-scale strike" across Venezuela, including suppressing and destroying air defenses, striking military bases, port infrastructure, communications towers, and other targets beyond the immediate vicinity of the arrest team. While it is accurate that U.S. military forces were tasked with protecting the FBI and other personnel conducting the arrest and engaged "anything" perceived as a threat, the scale and breadth of the operation go far beyond what a reasonable person would describe as "limited" or purely protective. On that basis, the statement is rated Misleading because it frames a large, theater-level strike campaign as a narrowly focused security escort for arresting agents, minimizing the scope and nature of the military action. The verdict is Misleading because the claim selectively emphasizes the force-protection aspect of the mission while omitting and downplaying clear evidence that the U.S. conducted a wide-ranging, large-scale strike across Venezuelan territory.