WASHINGTON, May 7, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Five Venezuelan opposition figures who have been holed up in Argentina's embassy in Caracas for more than a year are now in the United States after a "rescue" operation, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday.

He gave no details other than to say that the opponents of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's regime were freed in "a precise operation."
"The US welcomes the successful rescue of all hostages held by the Maduro regime at the Argentinian Embassy in Caracas," Rubio wrote on X.

"Following a precise operation, all hostages are now safely on US soil," he added.

The five opposition figures have been sheltering at the Argentine embassy since March of last year, after prosecutors issued arrest warrants accusing them of attempts to destabilize the country.

They are close to opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who has led a movement against Maduro's government since a disputed presidential election last year.

Maduro claimed victory in that poll, but several Latin American countries, independent observers and world powers demanded the election commission share results data to back his claim.

The dispute sparked mass protests and a crackdown that left 28 people dead and 2,400 behind bars. About 500 of those remain locked up, though activists say dissident arrests have continued.

The situation plunged the economic crisis-wracked country into further turmoil, with the United States reimposing sanctions under new President Donald Trump.