A Venezuelan minister claims that the opposition negotiated members’ departure from Argentina

Venezuelan opposition members said the operation caught the government off guard, but Venezuela’s interior minister confirmed Wednesday that their departure from Argentina’s diplomatic mission in Caracas was arranged.

Although Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello did not elaborate, he stated that the people had left the Argentine ambassador’s home after a “negotiation.”

“They ultimately came to an agreement through negotiation. That is the unquestionable truth,” Cabello stated. “They may now say whatever they want and put on whatever show they want.”

Five opposition employees who had been residing at the house since March 2024 after arrest warrants were issued for them have arrived in the United States, according to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s statement on Tuesday.

Cabello said on Wednesday that four people had left the house.

Earlier Wednesday, President Nicolas Maduro was caught off guard by the “international rescue” operation, according to Venezuela’s largest opposition coalition.

“To the surprise of the Nicolas Maduro regime, this operation is a testament to the dedication of many people, who managed to break the chains of oppression,” the opposition alliance said in a statement posted on X.

This week, Maduro visited Russia, where he signed a strategic cooperation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The opposition coalition stated that the five employees would discuss their experiences “in the coming days.” Independent confirmation of their present location was not possible for Reuters.

During their stay in the Argentine home, the five frequently posted recordings of state security personnel outside the structure, where water and power were frequently turned off, sometimes for weeks at a time.

The opposition statement praised Rubio, Argentine President Javier Milei, and U.S. President Donald Trump for their contributions to the operation. There were no other details provided.

Brazil has been holding the Argentine home in Caracas since Buenos Aires severed ties with Maduro’s administration over the 2024 election, which the opposition and its supporters claim was won by Edmundo Gonzalez, who is currently residing in Spain.

According to a Brazilian diplomatic source on Wednesday, Brazil was not a part of any operation to remove the staff members from the house. But in a statement, the Brazilian government said it had made several attempts to secure safe passage for the staffers.

Maria Corina Machado, the leader of the opposition, praised the operation late Tuesday and demanded that the 900 other politicians and activists who had been arrested the previous year be released.

Machado’s aging mother, Corina Parisca de Machado, 85, also departed Venezuela, according to two individuals who spoke to Reuters on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, Cabello announced that Parisca de Machado had departed via Bogota, Colombia, on Monday.

Machado, who has been hiding in Venezuela since the election, has frequently voiced her displeasure with security personnel stationed outside her mother’s house.