Cuban flag waving at sunset. Photo: @minint_cuba.
Cuba confirms the deaths of 32 of its military personnel during a US operation in Venezuela that led to the detention of President Nicolás
Cuba confirmed on Sunday that 32 of its military personnel were killed during a United States operation in Venezuela that resulted in the detention of President Nicolás Maduro, describing the events as a direct military attack carried out on Venezuelan territory.
In an official statement broadcast on national television, the Cuban government said the fatalities occurred during direct combat with US forces and as a result of bombings targeting facilities in Caracas. According to the statement, the Cuban personnel were carrying out a mission to protect Maduro and his family, deployed at the request of Venezuelan authorities within the framework of bilateral cooperation.
“As a result of the criminal attack perpetrated by the government of the United States against the sister Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, (…) 32 Cubans lost their lives in combat actions, while fulfilling missions on behalf of the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior, at the request of counterpart institutions of the South American country,” the statement said.
Cuba says 32 of its combatants were killed in the US military operation, which Washington describes as a “large-scale strike”
🕯️ Havana declares two days of mourning after the operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro https://t.co/KCubC6dJgn
— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) January 5, 2026
ÇCuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel declared two days of official mourning on January 5 and 6 to honor those killed during what Havana described as a US military aggression that concluded with the transfer of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, to New York.
On Monday, Venezuela’s government issued a statement thanking Cuba for its support, stressing that Cuban forces were operating under bilateral cooperation agreements to carry out defense-related missions.
🇨🇺| Como resultado del criminal ataque perpetrado por el gobierno de los Estados Unidos contra la hermana República Bolivariana de #Venezuela, perdieron la vida en acciones combativas 32 cubanos.#HonorYGloria
🔗| https://t.co/cHs58800i9 pic.twitter.com/rRqGvYje1i
— Presidencia Cuba 🇨🇺 (@PresidenciaCuba) January 5, 2026
Earlier, Venezuela’s Defense Minister, General Vladimir Padrino López, reported that “a large part” of Maduro’s security team had been “killed in cold blood” by US troops. In a televised address, he stated: “The Bolivarian National Armed Force strongly rejects the cowardly kidnapping of citizen Nicolás Maduro Moros, constitutional president of the Republic, our commander in chief, and his wife (…) an act perpetrated yesterday, Saturday, January 3, after a large part of his security team was killed in cold blood: soldiers, female soldiers, and innocent civilians.”
US President Donald Trump acknowledged casualties among Maduro’s guards during the operation. “Many Cubans died yesterday protecting Maduro,” he said on Sunday.
#Cuba declared a two-day mourning period on January 5 and 6, stating that funeral arrangements would be announced soon.https://t.co/3YThsXYQoX
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) January 5, 2026
The US operation took place on Saturday, when American forces attacked several locations across Venezuela and detained Maduro and his wife. During the operation, at least 40 people, both civilians and military personnel, were killed. Following the assault, Trump stated that he would assume control of Venezuela, while US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the military offensive would allow Washington to access the country’s “wealth and additional resources.”
Maduro and Flores are scheduled to appear before a judge in New York on Monday to face charges of “narco-terrorism.”
(Telesur)
