
On Jan. 3, the United States carried out a military operation in Caracas that resulted in the deaths of at least 100 civilians, soldiers and security officers, with the stated goal of capturing President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
Although the operation achieved that objective, the decision by the Trump administration sparked a global debate over its legality, with critics warning it could become a double-edged sword by setting precedents that U.S. adversaries such as China and Russia could later cite to justify their own military actions.