Why Venezuela’s Air Defences Failed to Fire : Missing 5,000 MANPADS Raised Fears of Deep Military Infiltration

Caracas, Venezuela — An extraordinary set of battlefield claims, videos, and intercepted broadcasts emerging from Venezuela has triggered intense scrutiny among military analysts after hours of apparent unchallenged helicopter activity over the capital, raising questions about the operational integrity of the country’s air-defence network and the loyalty of its senior command.

While no official confirmation has been issued by either Washington or Caracas regarding a direct U.S. operation or the capture of the Venezuelan leadership, the absence of visible air-defence activity during reported strikes has become the central mystery.

Helicopters Over Caracas, Little Resistance Observed

Footage circulating online shows attack helicopters operating at low altitude over central Caracas for prolonged periods. Analysts note that such conditions would normally provoke immediate engagement, particularly given Venezuela’s widely cited stockpile of approximately 5,000 MANPADS, including Igla-S systems.

For more than two hours, no confirmed imagery showed sustained MANPADS fire, radar-guided missile launches, or coordinated anti-aircraft barrages. Only isolated launches later appeared in scattered clips, suggesting that some units attempted to respond, but without centralized coordination.

A Spanish-language broadcast monitoring the events reported that national air-defence command systems were not active, implying that Venezuelan forces may have been taken by surprise or were operating under severe communication disruption.

La Carlota Hit, Key Systems Neutralised

One of the most widely circulated visuals shows a destroyed Buk-M2E launcher near La Carlota Air Base, a strategically sensitive installation in central Caracas known for VIP and government transport operations.

Military analysts note that the launcher was positioned approximately 40 metres from the highway north of the base, consistent with a point-defence role protecting elite movements rather than broad area coverage. The system appears never to have fired, according to available footage.

Unverified reports also point to the possible neutralisation or bypassing of a long-range S-300VM “Antey-2500” battery assigned to the wider Caracas defence ring, though no confirmed imagery of the system in action has surfaced.

A Stark Contrast With Past Conflicts

Commentators have repeatedly contrasted the silence over Caracas with U.S. strikes in Iraq, where skies were historically filled with intense anti-aircraft fire despite overwhelming odds. The comparison has sharpened doubts about whether Venezuela’s Integrated Air Defence System (IADS) functioned at all during the reported window.

“Even heavy machine guns would normally engage low-flying helicopters,” one regional defence analyst said. “The lack of fire suggests something far deeper than simple hesitation.”

Electronic Warfare and Command Paralysis

Several defence observers believe the most plausible explanation lies in electronic warfare (EW). Reports suggest that communications between command centres and dispersed missile units were severed, leaving frontline troops without authorization, targeting data, or situational awareness.

If accurate, this would explain why individual soldiers may have been willing to fight, yet were unable to coordinate or respond effectively.

Claims of ‘Operation Southern Spear’

More dramatic claims circulating online describe a rapid U.S. special-operations mission, sometimes referred to as “Operation Southern Spear,” allegedly targeting the Venezuelan leadership. These accounts assert that Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were captured during a short-duration operation involving helicopters and special forces.

According to these narratives, the operation lasted less than 30 minutes and relied on precise intelligence about leadership movements and defence layouts. None of these claims have been independently verified, and Venezuelan state media has not acknowledged any such outcome.

The ‘Inside Job’ Theory Gains Traction

Despite the lack of confirmation, the speed, precision, and apparent absence of resistance have intensified speculation about deep intelligence penetration within Venezuela’s military and security institutions.

Analysts argue that knowledge of weapons locations, ammunition depots, radar coverage, and leadership movements at such a granular level would be difficult to obtain through surveillance alone. This has fuelled allegations of high-level betrayal or insider cooperation, though no evidence has been publicly presented.

“The free movement of helicopters over a defended capital suggests either a stand-down order or catastrophic internal sabotage,” one security expert noted. “That kind of paralysis does not happen by accident.”

This type of situation shows that there are Deep CIA agents in Venezuela who easily disturbed the force's internal network communications," stated a former Venezuelan officer now in exile. "This could not have happened without the deep involvement of Venezuelan top officials working with the USA from the inside. They provided the keys to the kingdom."

Timeline of a Decapitation Strike

According to Pentagon sources and on-the-ground reports, the operation unfolded with a speed that left the Venezuelan military paralyzed.

• 01:45 AM (VET): Electronic Blackout. The first sign of the attack was invisible. U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft initiated a massive jamming campaign, severing communication links between Venezuelan command centers and their missile batteries. Civilian cellular networks in Caracas also went dark.

• 02:00 AM: The Kinetic Strike. Seven precision explosions rocked the capital, specifically targeting the Fuerte Tiuna military complex and La Carlota Airbase. These strikes neutralized the command nodes for the dreaded S-300VM "Antey-2500" long-range missile systems, effectively blinding the outer layer of Caracas’s air defense.

• 02:15 AM: The Insertion. With the air defense grid down, Delta Force operators, supported by the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Night Stalkers), fast-roped directly into the presidential compound.

• 02:30 AM: Extraction Complete. Less than 30 minutes after boots hit the ground, the package—Maduro and Flores—was secured. They were flown out of Venezuelan airspace on modified helicopters.

• 04:21 AM: U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed the success on Truth Social, hailing the mission as a "brilliant operation."

A Strategic Shock With Regional Implications

Regardless of how the claims ultimately resolve, the episode has already sent shockwaves through regional security circles. The events underscore how command cohesion, internal loyalty, and information security can be more decisive than the mere possession of advanced weapons.

As clearer imagery and official statements emerge, analysts say the critical question will be whether Venezuela can reassert effective control of its airspace — or whether the silence over Caracas signals a far deeper fracture within the state’s military and political system.

As the sun rises over a leaderless Caracas, the remaining loyalist forces are left to wonder: Was their President captured by superior American firepower, or was he sold out by his own generals?