At least 24 Venezuelan security officers killed in Maduro capture, its military says

At least 24 Venezuelan security officers were killed in the U.S. military operation to capture Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s military announced Monday, bringing the official death count up to at least 56.

Venezuela’s Attorney General Tarek William Saab said Tuesday that “dozens” of officials and civilians were killed and that prosecutors would investigate the deaths in what he described as “war crimes.”

He didn’t specify if the estimate specifically referred to Venezuelans.

The toll adds to the 32 Cuban military and police officers working in Venezuela who also died, according to Cuba’s government, prompting two days of mourning on the Caribbean island.

More civilians in Venezuela were killed in the strikes, AP reporting shows, but it wasn’t immediately clear how many.

A video tribute to the slain Venezuelan security officials posted to the military’s Instagram features faces of many of those killed, video layers over black-and-white videos of soldiers, American aircraft flying over Caracas, and armored vehicles destroyed by the blasts.

Trump’s claims of running Venezuela leave questions despite congressional briefing

The Monday briefing by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other top officials failed to fully quell lawmaker concerns that Trump is embarking on a new era of U.S. expansionism without the consultation of Congress or a clear vision for next steps in Venezuela. It came amid vague assertions by President Donald Trump that the U.S. is going to “run” the South American nation after Maduro’s ouster, seeming to contradict earlier statements from Rubio.

Venezuela asserts its independence: The Venezuelan government is seeking to show its people and the world that the country is being run independently and is not being controlled by the United States. Lawmakers aligned with the ruling party, including Maduro’s son, gathered Monday in the capital to follow through with a scheduled swearing-in ceremony of the National Assembly for a term that will last until 2031.

Venezuela’s interim president wants ‘respectful relations’ with US: Venezuela’s Delcy Rodríguez, who called Maduro’s capture an “atrocity” in the hours after the operation, has now invited Trump to “collaborate with us on an agenda of cooperation.” Her conciliatory message came after Trump threatened that she could “pay a very big price” if she didn’t fall in line with U.S. demands.

Venezuela opposition leader Machado speaks to Florida GOP Sen. Rick Scott

Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado spoke with Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott over the phone on Tuesday after being snubbed by President Donald Trump.

Scott said in a video posted to X that Machado told him over the phone that she was grateful for Trump’s “bold action to hold Maduro and his thugs accountable and work to restore freedom and democracy in Venezuela.”

It comes after Machado publicly thanked Trump for his “firmness and determination” and said she would give him her Nobel Prize, despite the president saying he didn’t believe she would be able to govern Venezuela after Maduro was ousted.

Trump’s comments over the weekend represented a major snub for Venezuela’s opposition, which the U.S. has maintained won the 2024 presidential election. Scott also said Machado asked that “political prisoners in Venezuela, including Americans, are immediately released.” Venezuela’s government denies holding political prisoners.

Spain’s Sánchez says US actions in Venezuela set ‘terrible and dangerous’ precedent

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Tuesday said the U.S.’ military operation in Venezuela had set “a terrible precedent” that will “push the world toward a future of uncertainty and insecurity.”

“Spain never recognized Maduro’s government because it infringed on rules, because his election was illegitimate and precisely for that reason, it cannot recognize the legitimacy of a military action that is clearly illegal, violates international law and whose only objective seems to be none other than changing the government of another country to seize its natural resources,” he told reporters in Paris.

Vance says he was briefed on details of the Venezuela operation a few weeks ago

The vice president said in an interview on “The Scott Jennings Show” that when he was presented with details for the potential operation, “I think all of us were kind of skeptical, like can you actually do this, go into a foreign country, take zero dead Americans and actually, you know, take this indicted narcoterrorist, Nicholas Maduro?”

He said the operation was carried out “flawlessly.”

Vance said the ouster of Maduro will result in, among other things, cheaper gas and energy for Americans.

“Most importantly, it’s going to mean that we have more control over the energy resources that exist in the world, to achieve better economic results for our people and to use those energy resources as leverage to achieve greater peace and prosperity,” Vance said.