Venezuela

 

Labeling Maduro raid a ‘law-enforcement’ operation sparks legal debate about war protections

By 

Rose L. Thayer

Stars and Stripes • January 9, 2026

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A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II taxis on a runway in Ceiba, Puerto Rico following military actions in Venezuela in support of Operation Absolute Resolve on Jan. 3, 2026. (Katelynn Jackson/U.S. Air Force)

The United States’ decision to label the military extraction of Nicolás Maduro from Venezuela last weekend as a “law-enforcement” operation has sparked a legal debate that the designation could put service members operating across the globe at risk of not being treated as prisoners of war if captured by an adversary.

All of the nearly 200 special operations troops and 150 aircraft that participated in the Jan. 3 raid to capture the dictator returned to U.S. soil, prompting Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to praise the operators for their flawless execution.

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Russia harshly condemns US seizure of oil tanker, warns of a spike in tensions

Associated Press • January 10, 2026

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Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with senior military officers at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (Mikhail Metzel/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Russia on Thursday strongly condemned the U.S. seizure of an oil tanker, heralding a new chill in relations between Moscow and Washington that could spread to other areas and affect President Donald Trump’s efforts to persuade Russia to end its nearly four-year war in Ukraine.

The seizure Wednesday of the Russian-flagged tanker in the North Atlantic “can only lead to a further escalation of military and political tensions in the Euro-Atlantic region, as well as a visible lowering of the ‘threshold for the use of force’ against peaceful shipping,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.