The Venezuelan government has requested an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council, claiming it expects an “armed attack” by the United States to occur in “a very short time.” The dramatic and urgent appeal, reported by CBS News late Friday evening, has sent shockwaves through the diplomatic community and signals a severe escalation in tensions between Caracas and Washington.
According to the report, Venezuela’s ambassador to the UN submitted a formal letter to the Security Council president, citing unspecified intelligence that has led the government of Nicolás Maduro to believe a U.S. military intervention is imminent. The letter urges the council to convene immediately to address this “grave and urgent threat” to international peace and security.
The move comes on the same day that the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to Maria Corina Machado, Venezuela’s most prominent opposition leader and a fierce critic of the Maduro regime. The timing is almost certainly not a coincidence. The Maduro government likely views the prestigious award not as a recognition of peaceful activism, but as a provocative, politically-motivated act by the West to delegitimize his rule and potentially lay the groundwork for foreign intervention.
For years, the Maduro government has frequently accused the United States of plotting to overthrow it, but this is the most formal and high-level alert it has ever raised at the United Nations. The specific claim of an attack in “a very short time” elevates the accusation from propaganda to a formal diplomatic crisis.
The United States has not yet officially responded to the Venezuelan request. Washington has long-standing sanctions against the Maduro regime for its anti-democratic practices and human rights abuses, and it has openly supported the country’s opposition. However, the U.S. has consistently stated that its policy is focused on diplomatic and economic pressure, not military action.
It is unclear whether the Security Council will agree to hold the emergency session. The request will be scrutinized for the evidence Venezuela can provide to back up its extraordinary claim. Regardless of the outcome, the appeal itself has dramatically raised the stakes, forcing the international community to confront the escalating rhetoric and paranoia emanating from Caracas in the wake of the Nobel Prize announcement.
