LatinNews Daily - 01 June 2026

Venezuela: On 23 May the US military conducted a drill over Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, its first exercise in the country since the capture of former president Nicolás Maduro (2013-2026) on 3 January and the re-establishment of diplomatic relations in March. The US embassy in Caracas shared a short video of the drill on social media, showing two military helicopters landing in the embassy’s car park. It stated that “ensuring the army’s rapid response capability is a key component of mission readiness, both here in Venezuela and around the world.” Meanwhile, Venezuela’s government announced that “the US embassy in Venezuela conducted an evacuation drill this Saturday, designed to respond to possible medical emergencies or catastrophic situations at its diplomatic facilities.” The drill had previously been announced by Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Yván Gil during a press conference on 22 May, in which he stated that “two aircraft will conduct controlled flyovers over the city of Caracas and will carry out landing operations at the facilities of the US embassy in Caracas.” In a statement posted to social media, Venezuelan human rights NGO Provea described the drill as “a flagrant cession of… territorial sovereignty”, adding that the operation had come during a week featuring “dozens of protests over failures in public services and demands for sufficient wages and pensions, which encountered police cordons that obstructed the free exercise of the right to peaceful demonstration and assembly.”

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