US military conducts first drill over Caracas since Maduro capture

A U.S. Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey aircraft approaches the U.S. embassy during a military exercise, in Caracas, Venezuela, May 23, 2026.

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REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria

The U.S. military conducted a drill over Caracas on Saturday, its first military exercise in Venezuela since U.S. troops attacked the capital and captured President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores on January 3. Venezuelan authorities say that attack killed at least 100 people.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.Venezuela’s information ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.US says it remains committed to Venezuela stabilisation

U.S. Southern Command General Francis Donovan and U.S. Charge d'Affaires to Venezuela John M. Barrett walk within the U.S. embassy compound during a military exercise, before U.S. Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey aircraft take off, in Caracas, Venezuela, May 23, 2026.