La embajada de Estados Unidos en Doha indicó que ha recomendado a su personal limitar los viajes no esenciales a la base aérea de Al-Udeid ante la creciente tensión regional

Irán amenazó este miércoles con lanzar ataques contra bases militares de Estados Unidos y sus aliados en Medio Oriente si Washington interviene en apoyo a las masivas protestas que sacuden al país. El ministro de Defensa iraní, Aziz Nafizardeh, advirtió que cualquier instalación regional que colabore con una ofensiva será considerada un “objetivo legítimo” y prometió una respuesta “dolorosa”. La escalada bélica se materializó con los primeros reportes diplomáticos sobre la evacuación preventiva de personal estadounidense de la base aérea Al Udeid en Qatar, luego de que el presidente Donald Trump afirmara que “la ayuda está en camino” para los manifestantes y mantuviera abierta la opción de una acción militar.

La tensión externa coincide con un endurecimiento de la represión interna. El jefe del Poder Judicial, Gholamhosein Mohseni Ejei, anunció la puesta en marcha de juicios “rápidos” contra los detenidos, justificando la celeridad procesal para delitos de moharebeh o “guerra contra Dios”. Esta política judicial ha encendido las alarmas globales ante la posible ejecución inminente de Erfan Soltani, de 26 años. Mientras el régimen reconoció por primera vez una cifra global de 2.000 muertos durante los disturbios, organismos independientes como HRANA elevan el conteo a 2.571 fallecidos verificados y denuncian que más de 10.000 personas permanecen bajo custodia en medio de un apagón digital que ya supera las 132 horas consecutivas.

A continuación, la cobertura minuto a minuto:

Senate Republicans successfully spiked a bipartisan attempt to curb President Donald Trump’s war powers authority after a pair of key GOP lawmakers reversed their positions. 

Republicans turned to a rarely used Senate procedure previously used by Senate Democrats in a similar situation to nullify the Venezuela war powers resolution from Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. The successful effort came after five Senate Republicans joined all Senate Democrats to advance the resolution last week. 

Their move drew heavy criticism and anger from Trump, who demanded that they «should never be elected to office again.» 

SENATE GOP MOVES TO BLOCK DEMS’ WAR POWERS PUSH, PRESERVE TRUMP’S AUTHORITY IN RARE MOVE

The resolution was tanked on a 51 to 50 vote, with Vice President JD Vance coming in to break a tie in favor of Trump. 

Turning to the arcane procedural move served as a victory for both the president and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., after last week’s rare defeat on the floor.  

Thune, like several other Republicans, contended that the resolution was not germane to the issues at hand in Venezuela. 

«We don’t have troops in Venezuela. There is no kinetic action, there are no operations,» Thune said. «There are no boots on the ground. And I think the question is whether or not there ought to be expedited consideration or privilege accorded to something that’s brought to the floor that doesn’t reflect what’s what is current reality in Venezuela.»

«And so I think it’s very fair for Republicans to question why we ought to be having this discussion right now, particularly at a time when we’re trying to do appropriations bills,» he continued.

TRUMP RIPS INTO GOP DEFECTORS AS ‘REAL LOSERS’ AS SENATE READIES FOR FINAL VOTE

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., believed that he had enough support on both sides of the aisle to pass his war powers resolution, despite an intense pressure campaign from the White House and Republicans to kill the effort.  (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)

Thune, Senate Republican leadership, Trump and several administration officials launched a pressure campaign on the five original defectors who helped Senate Democrats advance the bill. While not every lawmaker flipped, Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Todd Young, R-Ind., proved the decisive votes to help kill the resolution. 

Hawley’s primary concern was whether the administration would place troops in Venezuela, but after several meetings and conversations with Trump administration officials, he was convinced that no further military action would take place. 

«To me, this is all about going forward,» Hawley said of his reversal. «If the president decides we need to put troops on the ground in Venezuela, then Congress will need to weigh in.»

Young kept tight-lipped about his plan until the vote opened, and explained before walking onto the Senate floor that the deliverables and guarantees he had received from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the administration were enough for him. 

Among those were promises that if Trump did want to use force against Venezuela, he would first request authorization from Congress, and that Rubio would appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for a public hearing in the coming weeks to give an update on the situation in the region.

«Those who understand how Congress works, the good and the bad and the ugly, understand that votes like this, in the end, are communications exercises,» Young said. «They’re important communications exercises, but unless you can secure sufficient votes, not only to pass the United States Senate, but to get out of the House, with which is highly questionable, right, and then to override what was an inevitable presidential veto, which is impossible. No one can tell me how we get there.» 

«I had to accept that this was all a communications exercise,» he continued. «I think we use this moment to shine a bright light on Congress’ shortcomings as it relates to war powers in recent history.»

Still, Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Rand Paul, R-Ky., joined Senate Democrats to try and save the effort. 

Most Senate Republicans who were briefed on the matter last week argued that the strikes in Venezuela were justified and that the military was used to assist in a law enforcement operation to capture Maduro.

KAINE TELLS CONGRESS TO ‘GET ITS A– OFF THE COUCH,’ RECLAIM WAR POWERS

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., argued that because there was no current military action in Venezuela, Kaine’s resolution was moot. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Rubio, in a letter to Senate Foreign Relations Chair James Risch, R-Idaho, affirmed, «There are currently no U.S. Armed Forces in Venezuela.»

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«Should there be any new military operations that introduce U.S. Armed Forces into hostilities, they will be undertaken consistent with the Constitution of the United States, and we will transmit written notifications consistent with section 4(a) of the War Powers Resolution (Public Law 93-148),» Rubio wrote.

Kaine, who was confident that he would have the votes, panned that move ahead of the vote.

«If people want to just say, ‘Hey, President Trump, do whatever the hell you want,’ Let them vote that way, but don’t change the rules of the Senate in a way that might disable future Senates that do have a backbone,» Kaine told reporters.

Interim Venezuela President Delcy Rodríguez announced Wednesday that her government will continue to release prisoners detained under the rule of former President Nicolás Maduro in an initiative she touted as a «new political moment,» according to The Associated Press (AP).

Her comments came just days after the interim government freed at least four U.S. citizens detained in Venezuela, marking the first known release of American prisoners since Maduro was ousted in a U.S. military operation earlier this month.

During her first press briefing since becoming acting leader, Rodríguez reportedly told journalists in Caracas that the process of releasing detainees «has not yet concluded,» emphasizing that the effort to free those held under Maduro’s rule is ongoing. 

Rodriguez then pitched for a «Venezuela that opens itself to a new political moment, that allows for … political and ideological diversity,» the AP reported.

VENEZUELA RELEASES MULTIPLE AMERICAN CITIZENS FROM PRISON FOLLOWING MILITARY OPERATION

The outlet added that possibly 800 prisoners, including political leaders, soldiers and lawyers, are still being detained, citing Venezuelan human rights organization Foro Penal.

Rodriguez also claimed that her government had already released 212 detainees, but human rights organizations have estimated lower figures, The AP added.  

TRUMP SIGNS ORDER TO PROTECT VENEZUELA OIL REVENUE HELD IN US ACCOUNTS

Nicolás Maduro (C) waves a national flag on Jan. 23, 2019, in Caracas, Venezuela. (Edilzon Gamez/Getty Images)

The Maduro ally insisted that the prisoner releases do not signal a break from the past and are not the direct result of U.S. pressure, but rather credited the effort to the ousted president, The AP reported. She said Maduro oversaw the release of 194 detainees in December, noting that he did so because he «was thinking precisely about opening spaces for understanding, for coexistence, for tolerance,» according to the outlet.

While Rodríguez has not provided a detailed framework for determining who will be released, she said decisions will reportedly be guided by an evaluation of «crimes related to the constitutional order,» warning that «messages of hatred, intolerance, acts of violence will not be permitted.»

The actual coordination of these releases will be handled by Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello. 

President Donald Trump speaking during an event in Rochester, N.H., on Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024.  (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

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President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he recently had a «great conversation» with Rodríguez, their first since Maduro was seized and flown to the U.S. to face drug-trafficking charges.  

«We had a call, a long call. We discussed a lot of things,» Trump said. «And I think we’re getting along very well with Venezuela.»

The Associated Press contributed to this report.