January 16, 2026
Since the U.S. operation on January 3 that captured Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Venezuela has taken center stage in geopolitics and the short- and long-term impacts on Venezuela, the region, and the global Jewish community remain uncertain.
AJC’s Dina Siegel Vann, Director of the Belfer Institute for Latino and Latin American Affairs (BILLA), explains the situation in Venezuela and what it could mean for the region and the wider world.
Key Takeaways
- Political Shift in Venezuela: The capture of Nicolás Maduro and installation of Delcy Rodriguez as interim president has created uncertainty, with early indications that the interim government will accommodate the Trump administration as humanitarian and security challenges persist.
- U.S. Strategic Impact: The operation signals a more assertive U.S. role in Latin America, aimed at disrupting transnational crime networks, and limiting the influence of Iran, Hezbollah, and rival powers in the region.
- Implications for Jewish Communities and Israel: Venezuelan Jews in and outside the country cautiously hope for increased stability, while regional antisemitism and Iranian-linked threats remain a concern. Changes in Venezuela may also open the door to renewed ties with Israel.
What is Happening in Venezuela?
Maduro’s removal led the Venezuelan Supreme Tribunal of Justice to install Vice-President Delcy Rodriguez as interim president. Her administration has so far released political prisoners and has expressed a willingness to work with the Trump administration. One immediate concern is how quickly she echoed the antisemitic sentiments of her predecessors, saying Maduro’s removal had a “Zionist tint.”
Venezuela’s humanitarian situation remains dire. Armed paramilitary groups (colectivos) and checkpoints have proliferated. Press restrictions and journalist detentions have increased.
What Has Been the Response in the U.S.?
U.S. public opinion and the international community are grappling with the legality and consequences of the U.S. intervention, both bilaterally and multilaterally. Nobel Peace Prize recipient and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has expressed support for Maduro’s removal and says she plans to return to Venezuela to push for democratic change and free elections once conditions allow.
Her political influence has been complicated by President Trump’s dismissal of her as an effective leader. A day after she gave her Nobel Peace Prize medal to the President during a visit to the White House, U.S. officials met with the interim government in Caracas. Other opposition leaders, both within and outside Venezuela, feel marginalized.
The U.S. government has begun selling Venezuelan oil assets seized after the operation and asserts it will manage Venezuela temporarily until a safe transition of power.
And it has significantly increased its military forces in the Caribbean, including warships, submarines, and drones, forming one of the largest U.S. deployments in the region in decades. Even before the incursion, U.S. forces had been conducting tanker interceptions targeting sanctioned Venezuelan shipments, part of the broader pressure on Venezuelan oil distribution and regional control.
What Are the Outcomes to Watch from U.S. Operation in Venezuela?
On the positive side:
- Weakening of an Authoritarian Regime: The removal and capture of Nicolás Maduro is seen by some as a blow against authoritarian rule and corruption, potentially creating space for democratic transition.
- Disruption of Transnational Crime Networks: The U.S. labeled Venezuela-linked groups as terrorist organizations, aiming to reduce narcotics trafficking that affects the region. Targeting narcotics and alleged terror-linked networks has international security resonance beyond the Western Hemisphere. This intervention may enable closer security cooperation with willing partners on shared concerns such as drug trafficking and organized crime.
- Signaling Resolve to U.S. Rivals: Some analysts see the operation as a message to Iran, Hezbollah, and strategic competitors like China and Russia about the U.S. willingness to act on security threats.
On the more challenging side:
- Potential Increase in Anti-American Sentiment: While many Venezuelans may be happy to see Maduro gone, the intervention is intensifying distrust toward Washington across Latin America and could damage diplomatic relations and cooperation on migration, trade, and security. Key countries such as Mexico and Brazil have vocally denounced the breach of international principles and law. Mexico's President, Claudia Sheinbaum, has made attempts to prevent a similar operation in Mexico, following Trump’s recent threats of taking on narcoterrorists on Mexican soil.
- Regional Humanitarian Strain: Venezuela’s crisis had already generated 7 million refugees, worsening migration pressures on Colombia, Brazil, and Caribbean states. This has the potential to further destabilize other nations and present new challenges.
- International Law and Precedent: The UN and human rights organizations have condemned the intervention as a violation of international law, arguing it weakens norms against unilateral force. There is also concern that unilateral regime change operations by the U.S. can erode trust in U.S. commitments to diplomacy and multilateralism, possibly encouraging other powers to act similarly.
How Could the U.S. Operation Change Venezuela’s Ties With Rogue Regimes, including Iran?
Venezuela’s alliances with Russia, China, and Cuba are part of a broader geopolitical push to counter U.S. influence. Russia has provided military hardware, political backing, and energy investments. China supplies economic lifelines through credit, trade, and access to global markets. Cuba has shared its extensive experience in building a police state, with operatives on the ground helping to protect the regime.
Together, these relationships have helped the Maduro government survive economic pressure and diplomatic isolation.
Venezuela and Iran have cooperated since the early 2000s in what is sometimes called the “Axis of Unity,” rooted in shared opposition to U.S. influence and support for a multipolar world order. Tehran has sent gasoline and refined products during fuel shortages, helping Caracas maintain oil exports despite sanctions, and the two countries have pursued joint refining, petrochemical projects, and energy-technology cooperation.
There have been reports of Iran providing drones, military electronics, and asymmetric warfare technologies. Iranian-linked clandestine networks, including ties to Hezbollah, are alleged to be embedded in Venezuelan operations, sometimes overlapping with drug trafficking and money laundering.
Iran now faces potential losses of investments and credits in Venezuela. Combined with U.S. and Israeli strikes in June 2025, ongoing domestic protests, and the weakening of Hezbollah in Lebanon and Syria, Tehran may be forced to scale back regional activity—or seek leverage by threatening U.S. interests, including the risk of renewed attacks on Jewish targets, as in Buenos Aires in 1992 and 1994.
What Does the Venezuela Intervention Mean for U.S. Foreign Policy?
Under Trump, the U.S. has explicitly reframed Latin America — and especially Venezuela — as a central security priority. This is grounded in a revived version of the Monroe Doctrine now often called the “Donroe Doctrine” — Trump’s modernization of the idea that the Western Hemisphere belongs primarily under U.S. influence.
In this view, the U.S. should deny rival powers like China, Russia, and Iran influence or control over strategic nations in the Americas.
Earlier rhetoric tended toward avoiding foreign entanglements. But in practice, this intervention shows a more assertive approach in the Western Hemisphere
In addition, Venezuela has the largest proven oil reserves in the world — and its oil sector is central to the U.S. strategy. The Trump administration has sought to bring Venezuelan oil back under Western — and specifically U.S. — control, potentially rerouting exports toward U.S. refineries. He has invited major U.S. oil companies to invest in reconstruction and production.
What Has Been the Impact on Venezuela’s Jewish Community?
Members of Venezuela’s small Jewish community (3,000–5,000 people) and their diaspora have expressed cautious hope that the end of Maduro’s rule could restore democracy, reduce Iranian and Hezbollah influence, and improve stability.
The community has declined sharply over the past two decades, from a peak of 25,000. Venezuelan Jews were part of the broader exodus that saw 7 million people leave the country due to political, economic, and social challenges, including rising antisemitism. Most are resettled in the U.S., Israel, Costa Rica, and Panama. Community institutions continue to serve members but have adapted to the new reality, including limiting public expressions of support for Israel.
What Does the U.S. Operation Mean for Jews in Venezuela and Beyond?
Latin American Jewry has faced two terrorist attacks orchestrated by the Iranian regime and executed by Hezbollah, heightening concern over their continued presence in the region. Since October 7, antisemitism has surged across multiple countries, multiplying threats—but the recent upheaval in Venezuela could limit one of its main sources, Iran.
Political changes in Venezuela might open the door to renewed ties with Israel. Historically, Venezuela supported Israel’s creation and voted for its UN membership in 1949, maintaining decades of cooperation in agriculture, science, and military affairs.
After Hugo Chávez became president in 1999, Venezuela aligned with countries and movements critical of U.S. and Israeli policies, including Iran and Cuba. Chávez expelled Israel’s ambassador during the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah conflict and severed diplomatic ties in 2009, shortly after recognizing the State of Palestine. Nicolás Maduro has continued a strong pro-Palestinian foreign policy, condemning Israeli actions and maintaining relations with its adversaries.
How has AJC Supported Venezuela’s Jewish Community?
Through BILLA, AJC has consistently spoken out against threats to Venezuela’s Jewish community and anti-Israel rhetoric. AJC has urged Venezuelan authorities to protect Jewish citizens from intimidation and media attacks and has raised concerns with U.S. and global policymakers about antisemitic messages and government incitement circulating on social media.
AJC delegations have visited Caracas repeatedly to show solidarity, including after the 2009 attack on Tiferet Israel synagogue, which was vandalized. Leaders of the Confederación de Asociaciones Israelitas de Venezuela (CAIV) participate annually in AJC global and regional meetings. AJC has also monitored Iranian and Hezbollah activity in Venezuela and the broader region, sounding early alarms as far back as 2005.
AJC formalized a partnership with CAIV in 2004 and has tracked developments closely since Chávez aligned Venezuela with Iran in 2005, effectively turning the country into a gateway for Iranian influence. Chávez and Maduro have at times exploited antisemitism to signal anti-U.S. and anti-Zionist credentials or distract from domestic crises. Chávez severed ties with Israel in 2009, and Iranian Hispan-TV continues broadcasting anti-Zionist and antisemitic propaganda across the Spanish-speaking world.
