CIA Allegedly Seeks Lasting Base in Venezuela

(MENAFN) According to CNN, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is “quietly working” toward creating a long term footprint in Venezuela to influence the nation’s trajectory following the removal of Nicolás Maduro from power.

The effort reportedly aims to mold Venezuela’s post Maduro political landscape, with sources noting that the CIA intends to manage operations in a manner similar to its involvement in Ukraine after 2014.

While the U.S. State Department is expected to eventually re establish a formal embassy in Caracas, unnamed American officials familiar with the plans told CNN that setting up a CIA “annex” is considered “priority number one.”

From this facility, intelligence operatives would initiate contact with acting President Delcy Rodríguez’s administration, engage with opposition leaders and “target third parties who may be threats.”

A former U.S. official told the network that, ahead of normal diplomatic efforts, the annex could create liaison channels that allow for conversations “that diplomats cannot have.”

This approach is being framed as a way to facilitate engagement with Venezuelan counterparts beyond traditional embassy functions.

The CIA declined to comment directly on the report, but its role in Venezuela has already drawn attention. Sources say that U.S. President Donald Trump authorized covert CIA operations in the country last October, months before Maduro was seized by U.S. special forces in a military action earlier this year.

Following the operation that removed Maduro, CIA Director John Ratcliffe became the first high level U.S. official to travel to Venezuela.

He met with Delcy Rodríguez and senior military leaders in Caracas, underscoring the agency’s deepening involvement in U.S. engagement with the transitional government.

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