The U.S. military conducted a swift response drill involving Marines and military aircraft in Caracas, Venezuela’s capital, on Saturday. This event occurred over four months following the removal of Nicolás Maduro from power.

Two Marine Corps Osprey aircraft participated in the exercise. These aircraft, capable of acting as both helicopters and fixed-wing planes, flew over the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, which recently reopened. They landed in the embassy’s parking area, causing the downdraft to stir branches. Military forces then exited the aircraft.

Ensuring the military’s rapid response capability is a key component of mission readiness, both here in Venezuela and around the world, the embassy stated on Instagram.

The Venezuelan government announced the drill earlier in the week. Foreign Minister Yván Gil indicated that the U.S. would conduct this exercise to prepare for potential medical or catastrophic emergencies. This drill happens approximately two months after the formal reopening of the U.S. Embassy in Caracas. Full diplomatic relations with Venezuela were restored after Maduro’s ouster in January.

Some people in Caracas gathered near the embassy to observe the aircraft. Meanwhile, a group of protesters in another part of the city expressed opposition to the drill. They displayed a Venezuelan flag with the phrase “No to the Yankee drill” emblazoned on it.

Previously, on January 3, U.S. military aircraft flew over Caracas to conduct an operation where elite forces, descending from helicopters, captured Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The two were taken to New York, facing drug trafficking charges, to which they have pleaded not guilty.

The Ospreys that landed on Saturday were identified as part of Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263. This squadron is currently stationed aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima in the Caribbean Sea. After their arrest, Maduro and Flores were taken to the same warship.

General Francis Donovan, leading U.S. military operations in Latin America, personally observed the exercise. As head of the U.S. Southern Command, he also met with Venezuelan officials and embassy staff. The U.S. Southern Command mentioned on X that Donovan arrived in one of the Ospreys, marking his second official visit to Caracas this year. His previous visit occurred in February when he met with Venezuela’s defense and interior ministers.