MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Caracas authorizes overflight of two US aircraft for embassy evacuation drill

The Venezuelan government on Thursday authorized the holding, on Saturday 23 May, of an evacuation drill requested by the US Embassy in Caracas, which will include the controlled overflight of two aircraft over the Venezuelan capital and landing operations at the premises of the diplomatic compound. The activity, announced in an official statement by the Ministry of People's Power for Foreign Affairs, was framed by the administration of acting President Delcy Rodríguez as part of “the regular protocols of diplomatic security and protection.”

According to the text released by the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry, the exercise aims to anticipate the response to “eventual medical situations or catastrophic contingencies” and will be carried out in coordination with the national aeronautical authorities responsible for authorizing and supervising the overflights, as well as with other bodies involved in care and security protocols. The Venezuelan Red Cross will participate in the components associated with the evacuation exercise and emergency care. Bilateral coordination was channeled through the Protocol, Immunities, and Privileges Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The authorization stands as one of the most visible operational gestures between the two administrations since the formal reopening of the US Embassy in Caracas in early April, following the restoration of diplomatic relations in March. The two countries had broken off ties in 2019 during Donald Trump's first administration, at the height of the Venezuelan political crisis. The normalization process advanced after the capture of Nicolás Maduro on 3 January by US forces, which led to Rodríguez assuming the acting presidency under a political tutelage coordinated with Washington.

Saturday's activity takes place against a regional backdrop of strong parallel tension. CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Havana last week in a diplomatically sensitive episode, while the Cuban government hardened its tone toward Washington and acknowledged having acquired more than 300 drones from China and Iran. At the inter-American level, the United States this week backed the government of Bolivia in the face of the opposition march on La Paz, in a sequence that reflects the growing operational projection of the Trump administration in Latin America.

The Venezuelan statement did not specify the origin, type, or registration of the US aircraft that will participate in the exercise, nor whether they are military or civilian airframes. Nor was the expected duration of the operation specified. The activity will be supervised in its technical phases by the Venezuelan aeronautical authorities.