Venezuela

Behind Nobel Laureate Maria Machado's daring escape from Venezuela to Oslo

An American firm with experience in special operations spirited María Corina Machado, the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, out of the country in a secretive land, sea and air operation

Trump signals start of land strikes on drug operations in Latin America

The US president for days has been pledging to broaden the effort, which comes after the Pentagon has launched a series of attacks on what it has called drug-smuggling boats

US Navy admiral overseeing Trump admin's boat strikes hands over command

A US Navy admiral who oversees military operations in Latin America handed off command responsibilities Friday as scrutiny increases over the Trump administration's deadly strikes on alleged drug boats in the region. Adm. Alvin Holsey has retired one year into a posting that typically lasts three to four years and transferred leadership duties to his top military deputy, Air Force Lt. Gen. Evan Pettus, during a ceremony at US Southern Command headquarters near Miami. In farewell remarks, Holsey did not mention the military operations or the reasons for his early retirement. But he urged his successor to uphold longstanding partnerships in the region by standing firmly behind the shared values of democracy and support for the rule of law. To be a trusted partner, we must be credible, present and engaged, Holsey said. Holsey's shock retirement was announced by the Pentagon in October, over a month into the Trump administration's strikes on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean Sea an

US sanctions Maduro's nephews as pressure campaign against Venezuela grows

The US imposed sanctions on three nephews of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, among others, on Thursday as President Donald Trump looks to inflict further pressure on the South American nation. The new sanctions on Franqui Flores, Carlos Flores and Efrain Campo come a day after Trump announced that the US had seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. Also included in the sanctions are Panamanian businessman Ramon Carretero Napolitano, six firms and six Venezuela-flagged ships accused of transporting Venezuelan oil. The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control published the list of sanctions on Thursday. The sanctions are meant to deny them access to any property or financial assets held in the US, and the penalties are intended to prevent US companies and citizens from doing business with them. Banks and financial institutions that violate that restriction expose themselves to sanctions or enforcement actions. This is not the first time Maduro's family has been involv

Khamenei slams US for 'expansionism' after Venezuela tanker seizure

Following Washington's escalating pressure campaign against Venezuela and its government, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday took a sharp swipe at the United States, accusing it of pursuing "territorial expansionism" in parts of Latin America while speaking about global resistance to foreign pressure.In a post on X, Khamenei wrote "withstanding enemy pressures is Resistance," adding that such pressure may take different forms, including expansionist goals or attempts to influence cultural and social identity."Withstanding enemy pressures is Resistance. The goal of such pressure may be territorial expansionism - like what the US is now doing in some Latin American countries - or it may involve cultural & religious matters, or pressure to change people's lifestyles & their identities," Khamenei stated in his post.The remarks by Iran's supreme leader were in reference to Washington's increased pressure tactics over South America, particularly Venezuela ..

Tanker seizure just the start of Trump's pressure campaign on Venezuela

The seizure spooked oil markets and comes after President Donald Trump ordered a massive US military build-up in the region that has raised fears of outright conflict

Putin offers 'solidarity' for Venezuelan people as tensions with US rise

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed "solidarity with the Venezuelan people" on Thursday amid growing tensions between Venezuela's leader, Nicols Maduro, and the Trump administration. The Kremlin said in a statement that Putin spoke with Maduro by phone and reaffirmed his support for Venezuelan leader's policy of "protecting national interests and sovereignty in the face of growing external pressure." The call comes a day after American forces seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, the latest tactic from US President Donald Trump's administration to ramp up pressure on Maduro, who has been charged with narco-terrorism in the United States. During testimony before Congress on Thursday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem linked the seizure of the vessel to the Trump administration's anti-drug efforts in the region. The US has built up its largest military presence in the region in decades and launched a series of deadly strikes on alleged drug-smuggling ...

Nobel winner Machado appears in Oslo after 'journey of extreme danger'

The perilous trip involved her taking a boat to Curacao, a Dutch Caribbean island about 40 miles away, a person familiar with the matter said

More than 30 sanctioned ships in Venezuela at risk after US tanker seizure

The US action, as Trump ratchets up pressure on the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, has put many vessel owners, operators and shipping agencies on alert

US has seized a large oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, says Trump

President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that the United States has seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela amid mounting tensions with the government of Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro. It is the Trump administration's latest push to increase pressure on Maduro, who has been charged with narco-terrorism in the United States. "We've just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela -- a large tanker, very large, largest one ever seized, actually," Trump told reporters at the White House. Trump said "other things are happening," but did not offer additional details, saying he would speak more about it later. The seizure was carried led by the US Coast Guard led effort and supported by the Navy, according to a US official who was not authorised to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. A day earlier, the US military flew a pair of fighter jets over the Gulf of Venezuela in what appeared to be the closest that warplanes had come to the South American country's

Venezuelan opposition leader Machado to miss Nobel Peace Prize ceremony

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado will miss the ceremony to award her the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo on Wednesday, the head of the Norwegian Nobel Institute said. Machado last appeared in public 11 months ago. Nobel Institute director Kristian Berg Harpviken told public broadcaster NRK the Venezuelan opposition leader was not in the Norwegian capital on the day of the ceremony, and her daughter will accept the prize on Machado's behalf. We confirm that she will not attend the Nobel ceremony, but we are optimistic about her presence on the rest of the day's agenda, said Machado's spokesperson, Claudia Macero. She did not give information on Machado's current location. Prominent Latin American figures planned to attend Wednesday's ceremony in a signal of solidarity with Machado, including Argentine President Javier Milei, Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa, Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino and Paraguayan President Santiago Pena. Machado has been living in hiding and h

Four killed as US military conducts another strike on suspected drug boat

US Southern Command announced that it conducted another strike against a small boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean, following a pause of almost three weeks. Thursday's strike is the 22nd the US military has carried out against boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean that the Trump administration claimed were trafficking drugs. There were four casualties in Thursday's strike, according to the social media post, bringing the death toll of the campaign to at least 87 people. In a video that accompanied the announcement, a small boat can be seen moving across the water before it is suddenly consumed by a large explosion. The video then zooms out to show the boat covered in flames and billowing smoke. The strike was conducted the same day Adm. Frank "Mitch" Bradley appeared for a series of closed-door classified briefings at the US Capitol as lawmakers began an investigation into the very first strike carried out by the military on September 2. The sessions came after a repor

US Navy admiral denies 'kill all' order amid probe on Venezuela boat strike

A Navy admiral told lawmakers Thursday that there was no kill them all order from Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth as Congress scrutinises an attack that killed two survivors of an initial strike on an alleged drug boat in international waters near Venezuela. Adm Frank Mitch Bradley "was very clear that he was given no such order, to give no quarter or to kill them all. He was given an order that, of course, was written down in great detail, said Sen Tom Cotton, who heads the Senate Intelligence Committee, as he exited a classified briefing. Cotton defended the attack, but a Democrat who also was briefed said that while there was no kill them all order from Hegseth, he was still deeply concerned by video of the second strike. What I saw in that room was one of the most troubling things I've seen in my time in public service, Connecticut Rep Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told reporters. You have two individuals in clear distress without any means of .

Why Trump is hinting at strikes inside Venezuela: All you need to know

Donald Trump has hinted that the US may strike inside Venezuela after attacks on suspected drug boats, raising tensions with President Maduro as both sides trade accusations

Venezuela to accept deported migrants despite Trump's airspace claim

US-operated flights returning deported migrants to Venezuela will continue despite President Donald Trump's assertion that the airspace of the South American country should be considered closed. The government of Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro on Tuesday announced that the twice weekly flights will go on following a request from the Trump administration. That reverses a Venezuelan government Saturday announcement indicating that US immigration authorities had unilaterally suspended the flights. An overflight and landing application submitted Monday by US-based Eastern Airlines requests permission for an arrival Wednesday. The application was made public Tuesday by Venezuela's foreign affairs minister. Venezuelans have been steadily deported to their home country this year after Maduro, under pressure from the White House, did away with his long-standing policy of not accepting deportees from the US. Immigrants arrive regularly at the airport outside the capital, Caracas, on ...

Trump holds Oval Office meeting on Venezuela amid questions on US strikes

The deliberations came as the US has stepped up pressure on Venezuela through strikes on drug boats and a significant military build-up in the Caribbean under 'Operation Southern Spear'

Trump downplays Venezuelan airspace warning as US mulls new steps

The US is enacting a widening campaign in the Caribbean, one that began with fatal strikes on boats in international waters and continued when the US deployed additional Navy ships

Donald Trump says consider airspace above and surrounding Venezuela closed

"To all airlines, pilots, drug dealers, and human traffickers, please consider the airspace above and surrounding Venezuela to be closed in its entirety. Thank you for your attention to this matter"

Airlines cancel Venezuela flights after FAA warns of rising security risks

International airlines increasingly cancelled flights to Venezuela on Sunday after the US Federal Aviation Administration warned pilots to use caution when flying in the country's airspace because of worsening security and heightened military activity. Marisela de Loaiza, president of the Airlines Association in Venezuela, told The Associated Press that six carriers have indefinitely suspended flights: TAP, LATAM, Avianca, Iberia, Gol and Caribbean. Turkish Airlines suspended flights from November 24 to 28. Colombian President Gustavo Petro wrote Sunday on X that there must be regular flights to all Latin American countries and from Latin America and the world. Countries are not blocked, because blocking countries means blocking people, and that is a crime against humanity," Petro added. On Friday, the FAA warned pilots that unspecified threats could pose a potential risk to aircraft at all altitudes as well planes taking off and landing in the country and even aircraft on the ...

Trump threatens Latin America with military action but US strategy unclear

The comments - which hit the Mexican peso - echo remarks he's made in the past about potentially using force to seize Greenland and take back the Panama Canal