The United States carried out a rapid response drill at its embassy in Caracas on Saturday, landing two Marine Corps Osprey aircraft in the embassy parking lot. The exercise took place more than four months after the ouster of former President Nicolás Maduro.
The Ospreys, which combine features of helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, flew over the recently reopened embassy and landed, with forces descending from the aircraft. The embassy stated on Instagram that ensuring rapid response capability is key to mission readiness in Venezuela and worldwide.
Venezuela's government had announced the drill earlier in the week. Foreign Minister Yván Gil said the exercise was to prepare for medical or catastrophic emergencies. The drill comes nearly two months after the US formally reopened its embassy in Caracas, following the restoration of full diplomatic relations after Maduro's ouster in January.
Some Caracas residents gathered near the embassy to watch the aircraft, while a few dozen others protested the exercise elsewhere in the city, holding a Venezuelan flag with the message “No to the Yankee drill.” US military aircraft last flew over Caracas on January 3, when elite forces captured Maduro and his wife, who now face drug trafficking charges in New York and have pleaded not guilty.
