Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his administration's full support for the U.S. military operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of Nicolás Maduro. During the opening of a cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, as reported by the Argentine News Agency, the head of state highlighted the 'firm decision and action of the United States to restore freedom and justice in this region,' while publicly congratulating Donald Trump on the deployment of special forces. For the Israeli prime minister, the detention of the Chavist leader represents a turning point for the continent. 'Latin America is experiencing a transformation,' Netanyahu stated, linking this change to the growing alignment of several regional governments with the axis formed by Washington and Jerusalem. The UN Security Council will hold an urgent meeting on the intervention in Venezuela. In turn, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar reinforced this stance by stating that Maduro's departure, whom he accused of leading international drug trafficking and terrorism networks, opens a historic opportunity to normalize diplomatic relations between the two countries, severed since 2009 by Hugo Chávez's decision. Following the operation carried out early Saturday, the political landscape in Caracas took a turn with the designation of Delcy Rodríguez as interim president by the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ). While Maduro remains confined in a federal prison in New York awaiting a narco-terrorism trial, Israel seeks to capitalize on the new scenario to leave behind nearly two decades of hostilities and ties of the Venezuelan regime with Iran and organizations like Hezbollah. Saar concluded that this moment will allow South America to seek a future 'away from illegal structures' where international cooperation gains ground. In Jerusalem, expectations for the restoration of friendly ties grow in tune with the fall of one of Tehran's main allies in the Western hemisphere, marking what the Israeli government defines as the end of an era of 'narcodictatorship' in the region. Pope Leo XIV claimed sovereignty for Venezuela after Maduro's capture.
