Venezuela in May 2026: the most important developments in security
Venezuela in May 2026 was marked by the deportation of Alex Saab, an ally of Maduro, to the United States. Venezuela sent Saab to the US in the middle of the month, and the move was the most widely reported security story of the period. Separately, the US arrested an Iraqi official in an operation reported as similar to the one used against Maduro.
The US military presence around Venezuela stayed visible. A US military drill took place over Caracas on 23 May, described in reports as coming after Maduro's capture, and the US embassy in Venezuela held evacuation drills the following day. In the wider Caribbean, the United States stepped up spy flights over Cuba and moved the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and its strike group to the waters near Cuba, while relations between Washington and Havana remained strained.
Inside the country, inmates took control of a prison on 25 May over alleged abuse and set it on fire. Three former Caracas police officers, described as Venezuela's longest-serving political prisoners, were released from jail, according to an NGO. Colombia's President Gustavo Petro authorized an airstrike on an ELN command post with Venezuelan cooperation.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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