US Cyberattack Blacks Out Venezuela, Leads to Maduro’s Capture in 2026

The piece reports that a cyberattack plunged Venezuela’s capital into darkness this month, demonstrating the Pentagon’s ability not only to turn lights off but to turn them back on, according to U.S. officials briefed on the operation. The January 3 operation was described as one of the most public displays of offensive U.S. cybercapabilities in recent years, showing that the United States could deploy cyberweapons with powerful and precise effects against a country whose military lacks sophisticated cyberdefences.

It also states that the U.S. military used cyberweapons to interfere with air defence radar, according to people briefed on the matter. The report notes that Venezuela’s most powerful radar was not functional, a detail linked in the piece. Read more at The New York Times, which is cited in the article. The piece’s headline and framing contend that the event leads to Maduro’s capture in 2026.