Venezuela’s uprising

In his televised address Tuesday, Nicolas Maduro appeared to deny US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s claim that the Venezuelan President was planning to leave the country and head to Cuba but was convinced not to by Russia.

Pompeo said in an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer that Maduro’s plane was parked on the runway, and he was prepared depart to Cuba that morning before being talked out of it, by unnamed Russian officials.

The secretary of state said he could not reveal how the US obtained that information, but that Washington was talking to “scores and scores of people on the ground.”

However, Pompeo’s claim has been refuted by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, who told CNN: “Washington tried its best to demoralize the Venezuelan army and now used fakes as a part of information war.”

Maduro said Pompeo’s claims were “craziness” and called them “lies and manipulation.”

“Please, Mr. Pompeo, you’re not being serious,” Maduro said.

Opposition leader Juan Guaido said Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro does not have the support of the country’s armed forces, despite the fact that Maduro took to the airwaves Tuesday night to say the military stands behind him.

Guaido’s said in his message, which aired on Venezuelan television shortly before Maduro’s, that the President “does not have the support nor the respect of the armed forces” and urged people to take to the streets again Wednesday, which is international labor day – a holiday marked by protests in many parts of the world.

Guaido is the head of Venezuela’s National Assembly. He declared himself interim President in January and promised a transitional government and free elections to end the rule of the socialist Maduro regime, which has overseen the once-wealthy oil nation’s descent into economic collapse and a humanitarian crisis.

Maduro has accused Guaido of orchestrating a coup against his government.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed diplomatic efforts in Venezuela during his acceptance speech for the Business Executives for National Security Eisenhower Award Tuesday evening.

Speaking in Washington DC, Pompeo joked that he could get pulled out “any minute” to further deal with the evolving situation. He said that “we worked on a problem set from about 2:30 this morning until literally as I walked in.”

Pompeo said that not only the State Department but the intelligence community and the military “are very focused on protecting the Venezuelan people, restoring their dignity, growing their economy … and a team that is very committed to creating democracy here in the Western Hemisphere.”

Pompeo said Venezuela faced “the singularly worst humanitarian crisis, absent conflict, absent war, in the history of the world.”

He also reiterated his claim that Maduro was preparing to fly out of Venezuela before being talked out of it by Russia.

Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, and his family are being relocated from the Chilean Diplomatic Mission to the Spanish Embassy in Caracas, according to Chilean Minister of Foreign Affairs Roberto Ampuero.

Ampuero said in a tweet that the decision to move was “personal,” and did not elaborate.

Earlier today the Chilean Foreign Affairs Ministry said that Lopez and his family had entered the Chilean Diplomatic Mission Residency in Caracas as “guests.”

Lopez, a prominent critic of President Nicolas Maduro, was sentenced to 14 years in prison in 2015 after being accused of sparking deadly violence that broke out during protests. Human rights groups at the time alleged the charges were politically motivated.

Lopez has been under house arrest since 2017. He was apparently freed and appeared alongside Juan Guaido Tuesday.

In a somewhat rambling televised address, Tuesday, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro accused imperial forces of seeking “to attack and overthrow a legitimate government to enslave Venezuela.” 

“We have been facing various forms of coup d’etat, due to the obsessive efforts of the Venezuelan right, the Colombian oligarchy and the US empire,” Maduro explained, adding that the military air base Guaido was speaking at earlier this morning was never under the control of the opposition.

He went on to congratulate the “High Military Command for its courage in defending peace,” adding that five guards and the police officers were injured in the clashes.

More than two dozen members of the Venezuelan military have requested asylum at the Brazilian Embassy in Venezuela’s capital of Caracas, a spokesperson for the Brazilian president said in a news conference Tuesday. 

Otavio Rego Barros, the spokesman, said there are no high-ranking military officials among the asylum seekers.

Brazil also announced Tuesday a $57 million bump to the Defense Ministry’s budget for emergency assistance for Venezuelans entering the country and humanitarian aid to those who are already in Brazil.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said the protests led by opposition leader Juan Guaido and Leopoldo Lopez were tantamount to an attempted coup, but their efforts had been defeated.

“I want to congratulate you for the firm, loyal and courageous attitude with which you have led the defeat of the small group that tried to fill Venezuela with violence,” Maduro said.

“Factors from the right wing of the Popular Will terrorist party led the coup d’etat,” he said, referring to Guaido and Lopez’s political party.

Guaido, who earlier this year declared himself Venezuela’s interim president, announced Tuesday that he was “beginning the final phase of Operation Freedom,” an escalation of his bid to oust Maduro, which started in January. He was flanked by men in military fatigues and armored vehicles.

Guaido, who had previously called for nationwide demonstrations on May 1, leads Venezuela’s National Assembly and has been recognized as the nation’s interim president by dozens of other countries. He has led months of protest against the government, but his April 30 speech marked his most successful attempt yet to involve the military in the removal of the Venezuelan leader.

Venezuela’s embattled President Nicolas Maduro is delivering a televised address after Tuesday’s protests led by opposition leader Juan Guaido, saying he will not surrender to US “imperialists.”

Maduro said that the La Carlota military base in the capital of Caracas, where violent clashes took place earlier Tuesday, was not taken over.

More than 70 people who were injured in the clashes there between regime loyalists and protesters were taken to Salud Chacao Medical Center in Caracas, according to the hospital’s president. Of the injured, 42 were wounded with rubber bullets and two were treated for gunshot wounds. 

Protesters took to the streets Tuesday after the leader of Venezuela’s opposition declared he was “beginning the final phase of Operation Freedom,” promising to bring an end to the government of Nicolás Maduro.

Here’s what you need to know:

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel responded to President Trump’s threat on Tuesday, calling it a “dangerous aggressive escalation.”

“We strongly reject the threat of a total and complete blockade against Cuba. There are no military operations nor Cuban troops in Venezuela,” Díaz-Canel tweeted Tuesday.

In a series of tweets Tuesday, Trump threatened that a “full and complete embargo, together with the highest-level sanctions” would be placed on Cuba if the country’s troops don’t cease military operations in Venezuela.

Cuba still receives an estimated 50,000 barrels of oil a day from its socialist ally. The country also sends doctors, military and intelligence advisers to assist President Nicolás Maduro’s government.

Responding to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s claim that Russia talked Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro out of leaving for Cuba, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told CNN Tuesday the information was fake.

“Washington tried its’ best to demoralize the Venezuelan army and now used fakes as a part of information war,” Zakharova said in a statement to CNN.  

Leopoldo Lopez, a high-profile opposition politician, and his family have entered the Chilean Diplomatic Mission Residency in Caracas “as guests,” the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs tweeted on Tuesday. 

In the tweet, Chile reaffirmed its commitment to Venezuelan democracy.

Earlier today, Lopez appeared with opposition leader Juan Guaido.

Lopez, a sharp critic of embattled President Nicolás Maduro, was also freed from house arrest earlier today.

At least 71 people were injured in Tuesday’s clashes and taken to a hospital in Caracas, according to Magia Santi, president of Salud Chacao Medical Center.

Of those 71 people taken to the hospital: 

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, speaking to CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on “The Situation Room” just moments ago, claimed that Nicolás Maduro was preparing to leave Venezuela “this morning” but was talked out of it by the Russians. 

“We’ve watched throughout the day, it’s been a long time since anyone’s seen Maduro,” Pompeo said. “He had an airplane on the tarmac, he was ready to leave this morning as we understand it and the Russians indicated he should stay.”

Pompeo later added, “He was headed for Havana.”

President Trump threatened that a “full and complete embargo, together with the highest-level sanctions” would be placed on Cuba if the country’s troops don’t stop its military operations in Venezuela.

“Hopefully, all Cuban soldiers will promptly and peacefully return to their island!” the President said in a series of tweets.

Some background: Cuban officials have rejected the opposition group. Earlier Tuesday, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla tweeted that the country was standing in solidarity with President Nicolás Maduro.

Samuel Moncada, Venezuela’s ambassador to the United Nations, called out lawmakers and heads of states for backing opposition leader Juan Guaido, saying they were complicit in destabilizing the country.

“This media operation for destabilization has relied on the immediate complicity from abroad from the president of Colombia, the president of Argentina, the president of Brazil, the president of Chile, the president of Panama, the president of Paraguay, the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the White House Security Adviser John Bolton, US Senator Marco Rubio, the president of the European Parliament, and even the Secretary-General of the OAS, who today was going to convene a meeting on Venezuela knowing what was going to happen,” Moncada told reporters.

He also claimed the uprising was “attempt by foreign powers to spark a civil war.”

CNN has been taken off the air in Venezuela by the government.

DirecTV, Net Uno, Intercable, and Telefónica all received orders from Venezuela’s government regulator Conatel to block CNN. CNN en Español was blocked in Venezuela in 2017. 

CNN obtained a video that appears to show the exact moment it was taken off the air by the Venezuela government.  

Comparing CNN’s recording of its broadcast to the viewer’s recording, it appears CNN’s signal was cut around 11:44 a.m. local time.  

That means CNN was taken off the air about one minute after it broadcast a live feed showing Venezuelan military vehicles running over protesters outside the La Carlota military base in Caracas.  

Once the signal was cut, a message appeared, in Spanish, on the screen that read, “Program not available due to restrictions from the channel provider,” and then directed viewers to a website.

See the moment:

Fifty-two people were injured in clashes and taken to a hospital in Caracas, according to Magia Santi, president of Salud Chacao Medical Center.

Of those 52 people taken to the hospital: 

Government law enforcement officers visited the hospital to check on the situation and collect information, Santi told CNN.

National security adviser John Bolton said the US doesn’t consider the situation in Venezuela to be a coup because it sees opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country’s leader.

President Trump and his administration have recognized Guaido as the legitimate president of Venezuela since January.

National security adviser John Bolton said the Trump administration sees the clashes in Venezuela “as a potentially dispositive moment in the efforts of the Venezuelan people to regain their freedom.”

“This is obviously a very serious situation,” Bolton said.

Bolton said President Trump “has been monitoring it minute-by-minute throughout the day as have his advisers.”

Bolton stressed the importance of getting “key figures in the (Maduro) regime” to back opposition leader Juan Guaido and “make good on their commitments to achieve the peaceful transfer of power.”

Bolton in particular called out the Venezuelan defense minister and chief justice of Venezuela’s supreme court.

National security adviser John Bolton said President Trump wants a peaceful transfer of power in Venezuela.

“We think it is still very important for key figures in the regime who have been talking to the opposition over the last three months to make good on their commitments to achieve the peaceful transfer of power from the Maduro (sic) to interim president Juan Guaido,” he said.

He continued:

“Let me say two things to be very clear. Number one, we want as our principal objective, a peaceful transfer of power and I will say again as the president said from the outset, that Nicolás Maduro and those supporting him, particularly those not Venezuelan should know all options are on the table.”

President Trump just tweeted his support for the Venezuelan people.

The President added that he is “monitoring the situation in Venezuela very closely.”

Read his tweet:

Military vehicles appeared to plow into opposition protesters in Caracas, as seen on live agency video from the ground. 

The opposition protesters appeared to be throwing objects at the vehicles immediately before they drove toward them.

The video shows the vehicles knocking down the protesters.

Warning: The video below contains graphic content. Viewer discretion is advised.

Protesters took to the streets today after the leader of Venezuela’s opposition declared he was “beginning the final phase of Operation Freedom,” promising to bring an end to the government of Nicolás Maduro.

Opposition leader Juan Guaido — who declared himself interim president in January — has been recognized as Venezuela’s leader by dozens of other countries.

Here’s a look at some of the countries that support Guaido and the opposition:

Meanwhile, Cuban and Russian officials have rejected the opposition. And Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said he retains his neutral position on Venezuela.

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido and a group of opposition protestors, including Nicolás Maduro opponent Leopold Lopez, have left the Plaza Altamira in Caracas and are headed west towards the State of Miranda, his spokesperson tells CNN.

Their final destination is unclear.

For the time being, Miraflores, the presidential palace, is not the objective, he said.

Opposition leader Juan Guaido has the support of the “middle and lower ranks” of the military, his US representative told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour today.

“What you have seen is only a statement from the privileged elite of the army force. We have the support of the middle and lower ranks,” diplomat Carlos Vecchio said.

He confirmed that Guaido’s side has not had any negotiations with Maduro. 

Vecchio denied that Guaido was leading a coup in Caracas, saying that he is “trying to do is restore democracy and the constitution.”

“The coup has been implemented by Maduro, who is holding the power,” he said.

Regarding Russia’s presence in the country, he said: “Well, we have been very clear with Russians. This is a problem that has to be resolved by Venezuelans. And they cannot be part of this conflict. And they should remove all the military officers that they have in Venezuela.” 

A violent uprising is underway in Venezuela, and it could determine the country’s future.

At the center of the chaos is opposition leader Juan Guaido and President Nicolás Maduro — both claim they are the country’s true leader.

Here’s what we know about Maduro and Guaido:

A military colonel was reportedly shot during clashes with the opposition on the Francisco Fajardo highway, Venezuela’s Minister of Defense Vladimir Padrino tweeted.

“At the moment entering the operating room. I hold the opposition political leadership responsible,” Padrino tweeted in Spanish at 12:35 p.m. ET.  

Demonstrators gathered today outside of the Venezuelan embassy in Georgetown in Washington, DC.

Dozens of demonstrators held Venezuelan flags and posters and shouted “Venezuelans want democracy, not another Cuba.” They chanted “What do we want? Democracy! When do we want it? Now!” as well as opposition leader Juan Guaido’s name.

They also called on activist group Code Pink to leave the embassy, which it has occupied. The group opposes Guaido.

Some Code Pink activists stood outside and held signs saying “US hands off Venezuela.” They also sang “We shall not be moved.”

Turkey and Cuba’s foreign ministry leaders condemned Tuesday’s attempted coup to remove Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu expressed his concerns about the uprising.

“Concerned about news that there are some attempts against the constitutional order in Venezuela. Oppose attempts to change legitimate governments via non-democratic means,” Cavusoglu tweeted.

He called on people to “stand in favor of settling problems in the country through dialogue. Always with the people of Venezuela.”

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla tweeted that the country was standing in solidarity with Maduro.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres is watching developments in Venezuela “closely and with concern,” spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.

The UN is also reaching out to the parties, Dujarric said at the noon briefing Tuesday.

Dujarric said the Secretary General urges all sides to use maximum restraint and asks all stakeholders to refrain from violence and to restore calm.

“Contacts are being had at various levels with the United Nations,” concerning Venezuela, Dujarric said.

Protesters have taken to the streets after the leader of Venezuela’s opposition declared he was “beginning the final phase of Operation Freedom,” promising to bring an end to the government of Nicolás Maduro.

Here’s what you need to know:

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday condemned Venezuela’s opposition for attempting to “incite conflict” after self-proclaimed acting president Juan Guaido called for an uprising to topple President Nicolás Maduro.

Read the ministry’s statement:

“The radical opposition on Venezuela has once again turned to confrontation with the use of force. Instead of peaceful resolution of political disagreements a course was chosen that is aimed to incite conflict, provoking disruptions of public order, clashes involving the armed forces.
We urge to say no to violence. It’s important to avoid turmoil and bloodshed. Issues that Venezuela is facing right now must be resolved via a responsible process of talks without any preset conditions. Any action must be taken exclusively within the framework of the legal field, in full accordance with the constitution and without any destructive outside interference.
We confirm our principled position supporting political, civilized ways of resolving inner disagreements by the Venezuelans themselves. We appeal to all members on the international society, including the closest neighbors of this country, with an urge to confide their adherence to the UN Charter, norms and principles of the international law, support Venezuela’s return onto a path of stable and incremental development through a dialogue that includes all responsible political powers within the country.  
We also view the objective reporting on the unfolding situation in Venezuela to be crucial. Media should not multiply fakes, turn into an obedient tool of agenda-driven political powers which are aiming to escalate the tensions in Venezuela.”

Venezuelan opposition diplomat Carlos Vecchio said today’s actions were only the beginning.

An attempted coup is underway to remove President Nicolás Maduro.

“This is only the beginning,” he told reporters. “This is an operation that is developing right now. We will see more events in the hours and the days to come.”

Vecchio said today’s actions were not as a result of military coup.

“This is a constitutional process led by the Venezuelan people under the leadership of a civilian — the interim president of Venezuela Juan Guaido,” he said. “He’s calling for the restoration of our Constitution and of course, the restoration of our Democratic system.”

Vecchio then had a message for Maduro:

“Venezuela is ready for a change. You must facilitate the transition in our country. You must allow the Venezuelan people to re-establish the Democratic system. The time is now. Venezuela is ready for a change. Nobody is going to stop it.”

Brazil’s far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, tweeted his support for Guaido and “the freedom of Venezuelans.”

“Brazil sympathizes with the suffering Venezuelan people enslaved by a dictator supported by the PT, PSOL and ideologically aligned. We support the freedom of this sister nation to finally live a true democracy,” Bolsonaro tweeted.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will address Senate Republicans at their weekly policy lunch on Capitol Hill today, two Senate GOP aides and a State Department official said. 

Senate Republicans are expecting to get the latest on the fluid situation in Venezuela from Pompeo, though the Secretary of State’s attendance at the lunch was scheduled before the latest developments in Venezuela.

Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the unfolding situation in Venezuela with his security council, the Kremlin said in a statement today. 

“The meeting’s participants paid much attention to the situation in Venezuela in light of the news about an attempted coup,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, according to Russian state news agency TASS.

A small contingent of Russian military specialists is currently in Venezuela.

The press office of the Russian embassy in Caracas told Russian state news agency RIA-Novosti that the personnel are there to undertake training and maintenance on military hardware, adding that their intervention in the unfolding situation was “out of the question.”

Venezuelan Opposition Leader Guaido told a crowd at the Plaza Francia de Altamira in Caracas that he is going to “stand firm.”

“Today we are here, and we are going to stand firm here and we are asking the army and the military to join this political fight and the struggle for the Venezuelan people. We are going to stand here together asking and demanding the military to join this demonstration,” he said.

Meanwhile, supporters are cheering for him in the streets. See the scene in the video below: 

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza said the Trump administration should keep its “hands off Venezuela.” This comes in response to US National Security adviser John Bolton’s earlier tweet supporting the opposition.

“The heads of the coup d’état admit their responsibility without scruples. The Trump administration, in its despair, attempts to spark an internal conflict in Venezuela. Venezuela’s democratic institutions guarantee peace in the country. #TrumpHandsOffVenezuela,” Arreaza tweeted.

Bolton tweeted that “Venezuela’s military has a choice: embrace democracy, protect civilians and members of the democratically-elected National Assembly, or face more man-made suffering and isolation.”

The US embassy in Venezuela is warning US citizens in the country to “shelter in place” if they cannot leave, avoid large gatherings and monitor local news for updates on the situation.

Demonstrations, the embassy warns, are happening throughout the country today and may continue in the following days.

Opposition leader Juan Guaido told a crowd in Caracas that he has the support of the majority of Venezuelans.

Speaking through a loudspeaker to cheering supporters, Guaido said, “Operation Freedom has begun!”

“We’re going to stand here together asking and demanding the military to join,” he added.

Guaido also called on more people to take to the streets, urging all those who are able to communicate with others to send messages encouraging them to protest. Many internet platforms are reportedly unavailable in Venuzeula today.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro tweeted a defiant message as opposition leader Juan Guaido raises the pressure on his beleaguered regime.

The President said he has met with regional defense bodies, which have expressed “total loyalty.” He also called for “maximum popular mobilization.”

Maduro wrote: “Nerves of Steel! I have spoken with the commanders of all the REDIs and ZODI of the country, who have expressed their total loyalty to the people, to the Constitution and to the fatherland. I call for maximum popular mobilization to ensure the victory of peace. We Will win!”

White House counselor Kellyanne Conway voiced the Trump administration’s support to the Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido and his ongoing attempt at a coup.

She continued:

“We support the people of Venezuela we’re sad that they have been starved by Maduro. They’ve been denied food and medicine and basic humanitarian needs having been met. The United States has gotten supplies there to them. Sometimes those have been obstructed or burnt. But we stand with the people of Venezuela and we stand with Juan Guaido.”

Conway was asked if the US military would be assisting Guaido. She wouldn’t answer the question a part from saying the military has helped deliver supplies the last few months and the administration is watching what’s happening there, stressing the administration wants a “peaceful transition of power.”

At his morning press conference, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said that he retains his neutral position on Venezuela.

“The same as before, I’m sticking to our Constitution. No intervention, peaceful solutions to conflicts, not getting involved in these issues,” he said.

“Our position is very clear, we want there to be dialogue, for human rights to be respected, for there not to be violence in every country, but we won’t intervene.”

Some background: Mexico is one of the few regional governments to have not formally recognized Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s president.

US Vice President Mike Pence has tweeted his support for Juan Guaido and his supporters.

Writing in both Spanish and English, he wrote “America will stand with you until freedom & democracy are restored.”

In his dawn address, opposition leader Juan Guaido announced “the start of the end of the usurpation” – the next phase of a months-long struggle to wrest power from Nicolas Maduro.

Here’s a timeline of the country’s crisis since last year:

May 2018: Nicolas Maduro, who has been President since 2013 and has presided over years of economic decline, secures another six-year team after winning an election widely denounced as a sham by the opposition and the international community.

August 2018: Several drones armed with explosives disrupt a military parade in an apparent assassination attempt against Maduro. Amid warnings that inflation could hit one million percent by the end of the year, the government issues a new currency.

January 2019: Two weeks after Maduro is sworn in, Guaido declares himself the interim president amid anti-government protests. The Trump administration recognizes Guaido as president – followed by much of Latin America and Western Europe – and the US sanctions Venezuela’s government-owned oil company.

February 2019: Maduro’s government announces that it will not accept much-needed foreign aid and intends to reroute food and supply shipments to Colombia instead. He later breaks off diplomatic relations with Colombia as tensions escalate over the aid on the border.

March 2019: A power outage leaves more than 70% of the country without electricity at one point, and rolling power outages plague the country for days. Separately, the US announces withdraws all remaining diplomatic personnel from its embassy in Caracas, and slaps sanctions on some members of Maduro’s government.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has reaffirmed US support for Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido and his efforts to oust Nicolas Maduro.

Hear more on US response:

Gunshots have been heard outside the Caracas air base where opposition leaders Juan Guaido and Leopoldo Lopez have been gathering supporters, according to CNN crew on the ground.

Both figures are still at the air base, where Guaido had earlier recorded his video address, according to his spokesperson.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza has denounced the “Colombian government for this new attempt at a coup d’etat in Venezuela.”

“We denounce before the international community the support of the Colombian government for this new attempt at a coup d’etat in Venezuela. All the unconstitutional actions of the last few months in Venezuela have been planned from Washington and Bogota,” Arreaza wrote on Twitter.

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido told CNN Español that Maduro has lost the backing of the country’s military.

“Evidently, there is no such backing of the armed forces to Maduro’s regime,” he said. “Communication was blocked between civilian leaders and the democratic armed forces of Venezuela … but we have been able to pierce through that.”

“It’s great news for the entire country that the military of Venezuela’s armed forces have taken this step. They were an important part of this. This was fundamental not only for a transitioning, but to recover Venezuela’s sovereignty. Here we are next to our legislators, the military and soon with the people of Venezuela. We are determined to conquer freedom for our country,” he said. 

Regarding Venezuelan opposition figure Leopoldo Lopez, Guaido said: “We have decreed amnesty and the release for jailed politicians. This is the beginning of the [release] of political leaders and military personnel.”

There are a few things that are different about Juan Guaido’s video announcement today, which make it stand out from the sine wave of protest and repression of the past four months.

Firstly, Guaido appeared alongside members of the military, in number, at dawn, near or in a military base.

Secondly, he was next to an opposition leader who is meant to be under house arrest – Leopoldo Lopez, who is essentially Guaido’s predecessor. He can only have been there if part of the military or his other captors somehow assisted. 

Third, the government, while insisting all is under control, have said this is a “coup” that needs to be handled. They use tough language a lot, but today is not the day to overstate your opponent’s activities. 

Finally, Maduro’s aides are calling his supporters onto the streets around the presidential palace. That’s sort of a siege mentality. The hours ahead will clarify if this is another episode in Venezuela’s slow decline, or a change in pace or ugliness of the story.

Miguel Diaz-Canel, the President of Cuba and a key ally of Maduro’s government, said he rejects the “coup movement” in Venezuela. His comments echo language used by Venezuelan government figures, who have also referred to Tuesday’s efforts as a coup attempt.

“We reject this coup movement that tries to fill the country with violence. The traitors that have placed themselves at the head of this subversive movement have employed troops and police with weapons of war in a public street in the city to create anguish and terror,” Diaz-Canel wrote on Twitter.

Venezuela’s vice president Delcy Rodriguez has called for people to go to Miraflores Palace, the official workplace of the President, to “defend peace.”

“Bolivarian democracy is founded on the protagonism of the people! Rest in the glory of our Libertadores, of Chavez! Traitors and fascists will never twist the destiny of freedom that Venezuela has marked! Let brave people to Miraflores to defend peace!,” Rodriguez said. 

Another government figure, Maduro’s communications vice minister Isbemar Jimenez, also told CNN that “the situation is under control.” Jimenez added: “All military garrisons support Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.”

US Senator Marco Rubio has urged Venezuelan military personnel to “fulfill their constitutional oath” and support Guaidó, who declared himself the interim president of the country in January.

“After years of suffering freedom is waiting for people of #Venezuela. Do not let them take this opportunity from you,” Rubio tweeted early Tuesday. “Now is the moment to take to the streets in support of your legitimate constitutional government. Do not allow this moment to slip away. It may not come again.”

He also urged police, judicial and political leaders to support the efforts. “Today their (sic) can be no bystanders,” he wrote.

He later added that the government’s calls for people to head to the military base “is a clear sign that they have lost faith in their control of the military.”

The United States is one of dozens of countries who have thrown their support behind the opposition leader.

Tear gas has been deployed outside Caracas’s La Carlota air force base, where Juan Guaidó said he filmed his dawn address flanked by military personnel.

It is unclear who deployed the tear gas. Guaidó and his supporters have called for Venezuelans to take to the streets in protest, as their efforts to oust President Nicolás Maduro appear to enter a new phase.

Juan Guaidó’s dawn address, delivered alongside men in military attire, was notable for a number of reasons – not least because another key opposition figure, Leopoldo Lopez, was present.

Lopez had been under house arrest, but said on Twitter he had been freed by military personnel. That could suggest growing support from military personnel for attempts to oust Maduro, though it is far from unclear how widespread that support is.

Lopez, a former mayor of a Caracas district with ambitions for the presidency, has long been a vocal opponent of the socialists in power and was banned in 2008 from running for office on accusations of corruption.

In February 2014, at least three people were killed during an anti-government protest in the capital, and authorities blamed him for the violence. He turned himself in, and was sentenced in 2015 to nearly 14 years in prison.

His imprisonment has been a rallying cry for anti-Maduro demonstrators, and Lopez was released to house arrest because of health concerns in July 2017.

A spokesman for Nicolás Maduro’s government has responded to Guaidó’s address, writing on Twitter that some members of Venezuela’s military have joined an attempted coup.

“We inform the people of Venezuela that at this moment in time we are confronting and deactivating a small number of traitorous military personnel who positioned themselves at the Distribuidor Altamira to promote a coup against the Constitution and the peace of the Republic,” Venezuela’s vice president of communications Jorge Rodriguez wrote on Twitter.

In a follow-up post, he called on people to stay on “high alert,” adding: “We will win.”

Attempts to oust Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro appear to be reaching a climax, after the country’s opposition leader Juan Guaidó made a play for support from the nation’s military and announced “the start of the end of the usurpation.”

Speaking in a dawn address flanked by men in military attire and armored vehicles, Guaidó made his boldest attempt yet to involve the military in the removal of the Venezuelan president.

He later tweeted: “The people of Venezuela initiated the end of the usurpation. At this moment I am meeting with the main military units of our Armed Forces, beginning the final phase of Operation Freedom.”

In the video, broadcast on Guaidó’s Twitter account, another key opposition figure – Leopoldo Lopez, who is currently under house arrest – appeared to be present. It was unclear how Lopez had evaded custody to appear in the video, which Guaidó said was filmed at a military airbase, La Carlota.

Guaidó called for a day of nationwide protests on May 1, and said his address marked the start of that protest movement.