At least seven U.S. service members sustained injuries in the raid that captured Venezuela's authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, according to a new report.
Five have returned to duty while the other two are still recovering, NBC News reported. One of those injured suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the legs. "We had a lot of boots on the ground, but it was amazing. And think of it, nobody was killed," President Donald Trump said on Tuesday when addressing the raid.
"And on the other side, a lot of people were killed. Unfortunately, I say that, soldiers, Cubans, mostly Cubans, but many, many killed," he added. Cuba announced that 32 of its citizens were killed during the operation while carrying out missions on behalf of the Cuban Armed Forces and the Interior Ministry.
"Faithful to their responsibilities for security and defense, our compatriots honorably and heroically fulfilled their duty and fell after fierce resistance in direct combat against the attackers or as a result of bombardments of the facilities," Havana said.
Cuba described the U.S. strikes as a criminal act of aggression and state terrorism and said the government would honor those who were killed. The regime, closely aligned with the Caracas regime, has long provided Venezuela with support in the form of armed troops and intelligence.
A senior Venezuelan official who spoke on the condition of anonymity told The New York Times said the death toll was at least 80 and included members of the military, civilians and a significant portion of Maduro's security team.
Hours after the raid, Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a news conference that the operation lasted nearly two and a half hours and involved about 150 aircraft. He said the aircraft were used to dismantle Venezuelan air defenses, allowing military helicopters to transport troops into Caracas.
As reported by The New York Post, the military base that suffered the most damage was Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela's largest and most significant complex in Caracas. Satellite images taken before and after the strike show multiple structures reduced to rubble, with blast damage cutting across large sections of the base.
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, also sustained injuries in the operation that ended with their capture in Venezuela.
Citing two sources familiar with the matter, NBC News detailed that the two appeared to bump into the wall or door of the same room within their compound. The injuries took place before U.S. forces came into contact with them, the report added. Flores could be seen with bruises on her face in her first public appearance after her capture.
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