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Political cartoon from 2007 predicting US operation against Venezuela goes viral
Carlos Latuff's political cartoon from nearly two decades ago seemingly predicted the US military operation against Venezuela.
A political cartoon from nearly two decades ago seemingly predicted the US military operation against Venezuela. The cartoon has been going viral after the US strikes on the South American nation.
What happened in Venezuela?
The United States attacked Venezuela and captured its long-serving President Nicolas Maduro on January 3, 2026. As part of a dramatic overnight operation that knocked out electricity in parts of Caracas, US Special Forces captured Maduro in or near one of his safe houses.
“We will run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” US President Donald Trump said. “We can't take a chance that someone else takes over Venezuela who doesn't have the interests of Venezuelans in mind.”
Old cartoon goes viral
According to US officials, the operation-, dubbed “Absolute Resolve”, had been planned and rehearsed for months. However, the US operation against Venezuela had seemingly been predicted not months but years ago.
Brazilian political cartoonist Carlos Latuff re-posted his 2007 cartoon in wake of the US strike against Venezuela. The cartoon, titled “Crimes in Progress”, features a sketch of Uncle Sam on the phone in the White House, with a list of countries that the US has invaded.
A box labelled “To Do” contains a list of four countries — Bolivia, Venezuela, Cuba, and Iran.
Latuff, 57, is a well known cartoonist whose work deals with anti-Western sentiment and opposition to US military intervention in foreign countries. His 2007 cartoon has been going viral this morning, having racked up over 30,000 views in a matter of hours.
Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro arrives in New York
A plane carrying Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, landed in upstate New York on Saturday evening, multiple news outlets reported. (Also read: 150 planes, 30 minutes: How the US captured Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro in his ‘fortress’)
Video showed a plane arriving at Stewart International Airport about 60 miles (97 km) northwest of New York City, with several U.S. personnel in FBI and other apparel boarding the aircraft after it landed. TV news networks, including CNN, Fox News and MS Now, identified a person who disembarked from the plane as Maduro.
(With inputs from Reuters)
