Fake News About the January 3, 2026 attack on Venezuela — Refutations from GFCN
On January 3, 2026, a state of emergency was declared in Venezuela. The authorities accused the United States of attacking the country and military aggression. At least seven explosions were heard around two in the morning in the capital Caracas. At least 11 facilities were attacked.
In the following hours, contradictory news began to appear on the Internet, which required independent verification. In this article, we expose the main fakes that followed the news of the strikes on Venezuela.
Video recordings “from the scene”
Fake news: A video of a large-scale US missile attack on the Venezuelan capital Caracas has appeared on the Internet. It is distributed on the social network X and on other platforms.
Reality: It’s an old video. It was posted online in 2024 and depicts a strike during the Iran-Israel conflict.
The original video can be found on video hosting sites.
During armed conflicts, many channels and social media users intentionally post old videos from other locations.
Officials in Venezuela
Fake news: Venezuelan Defense Minister Padrino Lopez has been killed. Such messages are distributed on the social network X and on other platforms.
regime”
Reality: Padrino Lopez is alive. He recorded a video speech after reports of his death appeared online.
The appeal of the Venezuelan Defense Minister was published by the Venezuelan television channel Telesur. Padrino Lopez condemns the military aggression of the United States in Venezuela.
“Statement of Padrino Lopez, Minister of Defense of Venezuela”
Fake news: Photos of the arrested Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro have appeared on the Internet.
Reality: This image was generated using artificial intelligence.
This is indicated by a number of details:
- The helmet model used by the military in the photo is MICH2000. It is almost out of circulation.
- The American military in the photo is dressed in regular army camouflage. However, the regular US army did not participate in actions against Venezuela “on the ground.” These actions were supervised by DEVGRU, the naval unit of US SOCOM and its land unit Delta.
- Traces of blood on the shirt do not match the condition of the T-shirt. There are no traces of blood on Maduro’s face and moustache.
- The hair looks unnatural, and the face is too symmetrical and “smooth”.
Events in Caracas
Fake news: A video of the landing of the US Armed Forces in Caracas appeared on the Internet. It is distributed on the social network X and on other platforms.
The ground just got a lot hotter”
Reality: The video was not shot in Venezuela. This is a recording of the U.S. Army training at Fort Bragg in June 2025.
It was night in Caracas when the video was posted, while it is day time in the video.
“United States Special Forces fast rope on to a target building for training purposes during the visit from President Trump to Fort Bragg, North Carolina”
Fake news: People on the streets of Venezuela express their delight at the detention of Nicolas Maduro.
“Venezuelan’s are now waking up celebrating the
removal of Maduro…
Forget the haters, Maduro kept you weak and poor, now you have woken up to a free nation, yours to rebuild”
Reality: The video was not shot in Venezuela. The action takes place in Chile.
A hotel with a similar landscape is located in the capital of the country, Santiago.
The author of the video writes about this himself. He probably added the name of the city in the video because of the numerous questions in the comments.
In the comments to the video, users also write that Santiago is in the video, and that no such events have occurred in Venezuela.
Such events are often accompanied by a wave of false information. Some fakes are published on purpose, while others are published accidentally. In any case, contradictory information requires additional verification by experts.
If new fakes are found, the article will be updated.