Marco Rubio welcomes the five Venezuelan opponents rescued by the US: ‘Honored to meet with them’

Secretary of State Marco Rubio received the five Venezuelan opposition leaders who were rescued by the United States in a secret and surgical operation in Venezuela's capital, Caracas, executed by order of the White House, on Friday.

The activists Pedro Urruchurtu, Magalli Meda, Claudia Macero, Omar González and Humberto Villalobos, all of them direct collaborators of Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, spent 412 days as refugees at the Argentine Embassy in Caracas while repressive agents of Nicolás Maduro's regime besieged the premises and cut off electricity, water and food supplies.

The constant siege of Maduro's repressive forces on the diplomatic compound occurred for months without interruption, even though the residence was under the protection of the Brazilian government. On repeated occasions, the Venezuelan dictatorship violated international law by refusing to grant safe-conducts so that opponents could obtain their freedom. Finally, the U.S. led an extraction to rescue them.

"Honored to meet with the brave Venezuelan opposition leaders who were targets of Maduro’s repression and tyranny," Secretary Rubio wrote, posting a photo of the meeting.

The secretary of state also denounced the kidnapping of political leader Juan Pablo Guanipa, an activist who was kept in hiding by threats perpetrated by dictator Maduro and his entourage.

"Their courage inspires all working towards more democratic futures, especially following the arbitrary arrest of @JuanPGuanipa and over 70 individuals. The U.S. will not waver in our support for Venezuelans’ fighting for democracy and the safe return of all wrongfully detained Americans," Rubio said.

Department of State spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said Rubio "reaffirmed the United States’ support for the restoration of democracy in Venezuela and the release of all political prisoners, as well as the safe return of arbitrarily detained Americans and other foreign nationals in Venezuela."

Venezuelan leader María Corina Machado used X to send a message of thanks to Rubio and, especially to U.S. President Donald Trump.

"Thank you, Secretary @marcorubio, for your steadfast support of Venezuela’s democratic cause, a cause that is inseparable from the security and prosperity of the Americas," Machado wrote. "We will never forget President Trump’s unwavering commitment to the Venezuelan people, who, despite brutal repression and deliberate impoverishment, continue to rise with courage and dignity, determined to live in FREEDOM."

Machado noted that the rescue of the five Venezuelan opponents at the Argentine Embassy was a "heroic operation that laid bare the deep weakness of Maduro’s regime."

According to the Wall Street Journal, the operation at the Argentine Embassy in Caracas was a resounding victory for the Trump administration and an "embarrassing" event for the Maduro regime, which witnessed firsthand how its surveillance apparatus was circumvented in an area highly guarded by its officials.

Following the successful operation, the Maduro regime used its entire propaganda apparatus to claim that the rescue was, in fact, a negotiated exit. However, the U.S. denied any negotiation and the Venezuelan dictatorship's own onslaught against opposition leaders suggests that the rescue was due to a serious failure of the repressive system.