Phil Stewart

They used all kinds of effects beforehand to black out part of the city and kill comms and knock out air defenses and knock out all the kind of threats that they could possibly

preemptively deal with so that when they got in the ground, they had to deal with Maduro's personal security, the security of the compound.

And that was quite deadly.

When they landed, they flew in at about 100 feet off the water in the darkness of night with the city blacked out and they landed and they piled out of the helicopters.

You're talking about a team of less than 200, probably.

And they came in, and from what we understand, I think the Cubans have said there were 32 Cuban nationals who were protecting Maduro who were killed.

And I think at least a couple dozen more, if not more than that, of Venezuelans who were killed in that operation.

They haven't said.

That's a safe assumption.

But they haven't said.

I couldn't tell you.

I wouldn't want to venture a guess about the size and scope of the compound itself, just not knowing it well enough.

International organizations for press freedom have said that there needs to be less restrictions on foreign access to reporting inside Venezuela.

That said, you see foreign journalists who are on the ground there and take risk to report on what's going on, even in these recent days.

And that includes reporters who are going to the aftermath of these strikes.

interviewing survivors, going to hospitals, speaking to soldiers who survived, who are wounded.

And so there is, you know, very vibrant reporting, but not, you know, as you might see in neighboring countries like Colombia.

You know, that is a great question.

I'm glad you asked that.

We are trying to understand the risk appetite of this administration because you've seen now since the summer two major operations that are hard to imagine have happened really when you sit back.