On Saturday, the US military conducted a highly visible drill right in the heart of Caracas, marking the first known American military exercise on Venezuelan soil since the chaotic January 3rd operation to abduct Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
The show of force involved two US Marine Corps Osprey aircraft touching down near the recently reopened US Embassy in Caracas, which went operational only two months ago, in March.
"The drill, which the Venezuelan government said it had authorized as an evacuation drill for possible medical emergencies or disasters, included two MV-22B Osprey aircraft that landed near the U.S. embassy and vessels that entered Venezuelan waters in the Caribbean Sea," Reuters detailed.
Venezuela's Foreign Minister Yván Gil had announced and previewed the drill to the local population, and dubbed the action a 'rapid response' exercise in the heart of the capital.
There were reports of protests in the capital, by those who reject their country being used for American military drills:
While some Caracas residents gathered to observe the aircraft, a group of protesters elsewhere in the city displayed a Venezuelan flag with the message 'No to the Yankee drill' to express their opposition.
However, other crowds reportedly gathered just the watch the large Marine Corps Ospreys sweep in low to the city.
The US Embassy later revealed that Gen. Francis L. Donovan, the head of US Southern Command, was personally on board one of the Ospreys.
This marks Donovan's second high-profile visit to Caracas since the January raid, which left a bloody trail of at least 83 dead - mostly Venezuelan military forces, Cuban presidential guards, but also reportedly four civilians.
According to an official post on X by the US Embassy, Donovan's itinerary made for a busy day: "[Donovan] participated in bilateral talks with high-ranking representatives of the interim government, met with the leadership and staff of the United States Embassy, and observed the joint force conducting a military response exercise," it said.
The current Venezuelan government, now helmed by Acting President Delcy Rodriguez (Maduro's own former vice president), has been moving quickly to manage domestic optics.
The irony is that there has not in the end actually been 'regime change' in Venezuela - only government 'decapitation' - with Maduro on US soil and in federal custody. Rodriguez is a socialist as Latin American leaders have come, and she presides over the same government - only this time while serving Washington oil and business interests.