NYT: Death toll climbs to 80 after US operation in Venezuela

The number of casualties from a US military operation in Venezuela has risen to 80, a senior Venezuelan official said.

According to the official, the casualties include both civilians and members of the security forces, and the number could rise, The New York Times reports.

Earlier, Venezuelan Defense Minister Padrino López announced that a large portion of Maduro’s security personnel was killed during the US operation.

On January 3, the United States executed a direct military action in Caracas, Venezuela, involving large‑scale air strikes and a special forces assault that resulted in Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores being captured and transported to New York to face criminal charges. 

US officials characterised the mission as part of a law enforcement and counter‑drug effort, though its legality under international law is widely disputed.

Global reaction has been sharply divided, with many countries condemning the action as a breach of Venezuelan sovereignty and international law, while some officials in the US and a few allied states defended it as necessary to dismantle a “narco‑state.”

By Jeyhun Aghazada