Biblical Whirlwind of Death Is About to Rain Down on Mullahs

Six weeks ago, the United States pulled off an unprecedented tactical and strategic military coup. At every level, the raid that resulted in Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro’s capture demonstrated the dazzling extent of U.S. capabilities.

The raid was a feat of intelligence work. The CIA laid the groundwork for it beginning last August, with the introduction of a clandestine team that tracked Maduro’s travel patterns and compromised human assets in his orbit. It was also a display of technological prowess in the digital realm. “It was dark; the lights of Caracas were largely turned off due to a certain expertise that we have,” the president said in the wake of the strike, acknowledging the previously undisclosed U.S. cyber capabilities deployed against the Venezuelan regime.

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.

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Six weeks ago, the United States pulled off an unprecedented tactical and strategic military coup. At every level, the raid that resulted in Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro’s capture demonstrated the dazzling extent of U.S. capabilities.

The raid was a feat of intelligence work. The CIA laid the groundwork for it beginning last August, with the introduction of a clandestine team that tracked Maduro’s travel patterns and compromised human assets in his orbit. It was also a display of technological prowess in the digital realm. “It was dark; the lights of Caracas were largely turned off due to a certain expertise that we have,” the president said in the wake of the strike, acknowledging the previously undisclosed U.S. cyber capabilities deployed against the Venezuelan regime.

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.