Marines conduct – U.S. Marines and military aircraft carried out a rapid response exercise over and near the reopened U.S. embassy in Caracas, Venezuela, drawing both watchers and protesters. The drill comes weeks after the embassy reopened following the restoration of full dip
Caracas woke to the thrum of U.S. military aircraft over a street that has only recently begun to look normal again.
On Saturday, Marines and two Marine Corps Osprey aircraft flew over the recently reopened U.S. Embassy in Caracas, then landed in the parking lot. The downdraft stirred branches from nearby trees as forces descended from the aircraft. a moment that drew some residents to gather close enough to see the landing up close.
The embassy posted a statement on Instagram emphasizing readiness: “Ensuring the military’s rapid response capability is a key component of mission readiness, both here in Venezuela and around the world.”
Venezuela’s government had announced the drill earlier this week. Foreign Minister Yván Gil said the United States would conduct the exercise to prepare “in the event of medical emergencies or catastrophic emergencies.”
The timing sharpened the attention. The exercise came almost two months after the United States formally reopened its embassy in Caracas—after the restoration of full diplomatic relations following Nicolás Maduro’s ouster in early January.
Outside the embassy area, the reaction was split. While some Caracas residents watched the aircraft, a few dozen others gathered elsewhere in the city to protest Saturday’s exercise. They held a Venezuelan flag with the message “No to the Yankee drill” written over it.
The drills are not happening in a vacuum. U.S. military aircraft last flew over Caracas on Jan. 3, when elite forces rappelled down from helicopters and captured Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. Both were taken to New York to face drug trafficking charges, and they have pleaded not guilty.
Saturday’s Osprey landings carried the same Marine presence, identified by squadron markings: Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263. The same squadron is currently deployed aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima in the Caribbean Ocean. After Maduro’s detention, Maduro and Flores were flown to that warship immediately.
The exercise also had a clear leadership presence. The head of U.S. military operations in Latin America observed the drill firsthand. Marine Gen. Francis Donovan, head of the U.S. Southern Command, also met on Saturday with senior Venezuelan officials and embassy staff.
U.S. Southern Command said on X that Donovan arrived in one of the Ospreys for his second official visit to Caracas this year. During a visit in February, Donovan met with Venezuela’s defense and interior ministers.
Caracas U.S. Embassy Marines Osprey Southern Command Francis Donovan Yván Gil Nicolás Maduro Cilia Flores USS Iwo Jima rapid response exercise