Venezuela's Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez (center)
Photo by STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images
Venezuela's defense minister accused the United States of turning the country into a "weapons laboratory" following the U.S.-led operation that captured Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, after President Donald Trump acknowledged that advanced and previously undisclosed weapons were used in the raid.
In an interview with NewsNation, Trump confirmed the use of a "sonic weapon" during the operation saying it was deployed against Cuban bodyguards protecting Maduro. "Nobody else has it. We have weapons no one knows about," Trump said, adding that the attack occurred in a heavily fortified area. He described the operation as "incredible."
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Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López said on Thursday the attack showed that Venezuela had been used as a testing ground for advanced military technologies, as Europress reports. "Venezuela was the victim of a systematic bombardment," he said, alleging that the operation relied on artificial intelligence and weapons never before used in battle. He cited Trump's remarks as evidence.
A White House account of the raid from mid-January, provided by press secretary Karoline Leavitt, also referenced a Venezuelan guard describing an intense sound wave that left personnel incapacitated, with symptoms including vomiting, bleeding and disorientation:
Stop what you are doing and read this… 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 https://t.co/v9OsbdLn1q
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) January 10, 2026
Padrino López said last Friday that 47 members of Venezuela's armed forces were killed in the attack, calling it evidence of the technological imbalance between the two countries. "There are 47 men and women of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces who gave their lives," he said during a televised address. He also noted that 32 Cuban soldiers also died during the operation.
The Venezuelan defense minister said the government has ordered support for the families of those killed and announced plans for a national monument in their honor. He added that the armed forces would undergo a review and restructuring in response to what he described as a new geopolitical reality following the U.S. operation.
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Tags: Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, Donald Trump, Trump administration