VENEZUELA ‘OCCUPIED’: MACHADO SLAMS REGIME FOR HARBORING US ENEMIES, WARNS OF TERROR HUB IN AMERICAS
CARACAS – In a blistering condemnation that exposes the depth of foreign infiltration in South America, Venezuelan Opposition Leader and recent Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado has issued a severe warning to the international community: Venezuela is no longer just a dictatorship, but an occupied territory serving as a safe haven for the United States’ most dangerous adversaries.
Machado’s latest statement dispels any diplomatic ambiguity, directly accusing the crumbling regime of handing over national sovereignty to a coalition of anti-American powers. “Iran, Russia, China, Cuba, Hezbollah, Hamas — they all operate freely in Venezuela,” Machado declared, categorizing these actors unequivocally as “Enemies of the United States.”
This is not merely political rhetoric; it is a desperate alarm regarding the geopolitical reality on the ground. For years, intelligence reports have hinted at the growing footprint of extra-hemispheric actors in Venezuela, but Machado’s assertion confirms the transformation of the nation into a strategic operational hub for forces hostile to Western democracy. The “free operation” of groups like Hezbollah and Hamas—designated terrorist organizations by the U.S. and E.U.—suggests a level of state-sponsored complicity that poses a direct, existential threat to regional security.
Critics argue that the West’s passive containment strategies have failed catastrophically. While diplomats issued sanctions, the Venezuelan regime was busy cementing alliances with Tehran and Moscow, allowing them to embed intelligence and military assets deep within the Western Hemisphere. The presence of these actors is not passive; they are accused of running illicit financing networks, including gold mining and drug trafficking, to fund operations that circumvent international law.
Machado’s sharp rebuke underscores a critical failure of international policy: the treatment of the Venezuelan crisis as a solely domestic political struggle rather than a global security emergency. By allowing Russia and China to seize economic assets, and permitting Iran and its proxies to establish a logistical foothold, the regime has effectively leased Venezuelan soil to foreign powers whose primary unifying agenda is the destabilization of US influence.
The opposition leader’s message is clear and scathing: the “invasion” is already complete. The continued presence of Cuban intelligence officers in Venezuela’s military, alongside Russian military advisors and Iranian operatives, signals that the fight for Venezuela’s freedom is now inextricably linked to the broader defense of the free world. As these hostile actors operate with impunity just hours from the U.S. border, Machado’s words serve as an indictment of the negligence that allowed this “criminal hub” to fester unchecked. The time for soft diplomacy has evidently passed; the enemy is already inside the gates.
* youtube.com
