There is no evidence of US involvement in Venezuela

A viral video claims there is no evidence the US military is planning to enter Venezuela and topple Nicolás Maduro. The content mixes old footage and a 2021 visit by the head of the US Southern Command to Colombia, which he misquotes.

The US Secretary of Defense’s office declined to verify the veracity of the EFE information.

In the 10-minute viral recording, an anonymous narrator promises that the North American country is mobilizing its forces for an “immediate incursion” into the “tropics of the borders” of Venezuela, which seeks to oust Maduro and declare opposition Juan Guaidó. President..

The announcement was made by General Laura J. Richardson, head of the US Southern Command.

To illustrate the claims, the content includes images of military exercises, Maduro, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s speeches or the streets of Moscow.

Among other things, the video promises that Venezuelan teachers and soldiers have come under attack in recent days, that “the CIA and DEA are in Caracas,” and that there will be signs that the Venezuelan president is “surrendering.”

Facts: But the video provides no evidence or real evidence, and uses decontextualized images from 2018 and 2021, or from military exercises in Colombia in 2018. The US Secretary of Defense’s office declined to verify the veracity of the EFE information.

Contextual images

A reverse search shows that the images of soldiers appearing at the beginning of the video correspond to joint exercises between the US military and the Colombian military in 2018.

The two forces were training at the Dolemeida military base, the largest military training center in Latin America, located about 150 km from Bogotá.

On the other hand, the clips of US Southern Command commander Laura Richardson, in which she appears to announce an “immediate incursion” into Venezuela, were actually on Dec. 2, 2021, when she visited Colombia and was sworn in.

At that meeting, Richardson met with then-Colombian Defense Minister Diego Molano and senior military commanders, promising to strengthen the strategic relationship between the two countries.

The videos, in which Maduro appears, are consistent with a speech he gave after winning the 2018 presidential election — a result disapproved by the majority of the opposition and the international community — and in which he talks about Covid-19.

The content intersperses these clips with other images of Putin, Moscow or US President Joe Biden.

The Office of the US Secretary of Defense has denied this

The US defense secretary’s office denied in an email that the statements in the video were true or that the North American country wanted to invade Venezuela.

Southern Command chief Laura Richardson returned to Colombia on September 5 for a three-day visit aimed at strengthening cooperation on issues such as security and the environment.

After Gustavo Pedro came to power in Colombia, a rapid restoration of relations with Venezuela began in August, including the appointment of ambassadors to each country, as well as the resumption of military and judicial cooperation and the reopening of commercial flights. .

On the other hand, the United States hopes to “navigate” relations with Venezuelan President Maduro in a “clear way” – after some compromises this year amid an energy crisis caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – after midterm elections. November is the term in the North American country.

“Mid-term elections are expected in America. It is said that the President Joe Biden It is waiting for that to happen, and then, it will steer its relationship with our government in a clear way. So we’re waiting for that to happen,” Venezuelan Foreign Minister Carlos Faria said in an interview with state channel VTV.