‘A message to others’ – Former MI6 chief breaks down ‘POWERFUL’ US operation in Venezuela

0 January 5, 2026 12:00

A former head of Britain’s secret intelligence service, MI6, said the US military operation in Venezuela was "an assertion of American power" and a "message to others" who might want to stand up against "American power."

John Sawers, speaking to a British broadcaster Sunday following the US raid on Venezuela to extract President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, said the mandate for such arrest was a "real stretch legally."

"What they’re relying upon is US domestic law, law enforcement, and the use of military force to protect those carrying out what they would see as a lawful arrest."

Sawers said it was unsurprising that UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his government had "distanced themselves" from the operation because "it wouldn’t have passed muster here in the UK."

Sawers acknowledged that it was a "very effective operation" but added that it gave a "licence to people like the Russians and the Chinese to use force in their own neighbourhood."

He also cautioned about using the word "regime change" saying that the Trump administration was "dealing with the regime."

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