The US may want many of its foes gone from power. It doesn't usually send in the military and physically remove them.
Venezuela's abrupt awakening took two forms.
Its residents were woken abruptly to the sound of deafening booms: the sound of its capital Caracas under attack from US strikes targeting military infrastructure.
Its government has now woken up from any illusion that US military intervention or regime change was just a distant threat.
US President Donald Trump has announced Venezuela's leader, Nicolás Maduro, has been captured and flown out of the country.
This was a man who wielded a huge amount of power: his government controlled the electoral system, the judiciary, the military, as well as having the loyalty of powerful militia groups.
By the end of Saturday, he was pictured in a grey tracksuit, his hands bound, his eyes blindfolded, being transported to detention in the US. It was an extraordinary fall from power.
The US has long accused Maduro of leading a criminal trafficking organisation, something he strongly denies. It designated as a foreign terrorist group the 'Cartel de los Soles' - a name the US uses to describe a group of elites in Venezuela who it alleges orchestrate illegal activities like drug trafficking and illegal mining.
Maduro now faces a US trial over weapons and drugs charges.
For years, Maduro's government has been accused of human rights abuses.
In 2020, United Nations investigators said its government had committed egregious violations amounting to crimes against humanity such as extrajudicial killings, torture, violence and disappearances - and that Maduro and other top officials were implicated.
The forcible removal of Maduro will be hailed a major victory by some within the US administration, many of whom have argued that only direct intervention could force Maduro from power.
Washington has not recognized him as the country's president since the 2024 elections. The result was deemed neither free nor fair by international election observers.
But for Venezuela's government, this intervention confirms what it has long claimed - that Washington's ultimate goal is regime change.
The US has carried out dozens of strikes on alleged small drug trafficking vessels, killing at least 110 people.
It remains deeply unclear what comes next inside Venezuela itself. Trump has claimed the US will now run Venezuela but has not clarified what he means by that.
Will the US try to push for fresh elections? Will it try to depose further senior members of the government or the military and force them to face justice in the US?
Trump said he was not afraid of putting boots on the ground and hinted bigger strikes could come if deemed necessary.
More surprisingly, he insinuated he could work with Maduro's deputy Delcy Rodriguez, suggesting possible negotiations.
Ms Machado, the opposition's leader, hailed this action as a day of freedom for Venezuela. Yet, skepticism among both opposition and supporters of Maduro indicates a fraught path ahead.
Some fear US intervention could trigger violent fragmentation and a prolonged power struggle.
