US pressed Cabello for months before Maduro raid, warning against targeting opponents

Reuters reports that U.S. officials held months‑long talks with Venezuela’s hardline interior minister Diosdado Cabello before the January raid that ousted Maduro, warning him not to use security forces against opponents and discussing sanctions and the drug‑trafficking indictment he faces. The discussions continued after Maduro’s removal and touched on Cabello’s status post‑raid, underscoring U.S. concerns he could derail the transition led by interim President Delcy Rodríguez. Cabello was not captured in the raid, with Rodríguez remaining the central figure for U.S. policy in Venezuela.