India, Jan. 4 -- US President Donald Trump in the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro played out like a high-stakes drama. Surrounded by national security experts and various live feeds, Trump monitored the mission in real time from Mar-a-Lago. Early on January 3, elite Delta Force agents broke into Maduro's Caracas home and cornered him at gunpoint while he tried to escape to a fortified safe room. The operation was the result of years of US efforts to overthrow Maduro.

Operation Absolute Resolve emerged from months of careful planning despite public reassurances that the US did not seek regime change, Trump privately weighed the risks of escalation. Final authorization came just before Christmas, delayed slightly by weather c...