Venezuelan television channels were ordered to place mourning ribbons on their screens in tribute to Cuban mercenaries neutralized during a U.S. liberation operation, according to an X post by @VVperiodistas_ shared between 3:15 p.m. and 3:45 p.m. UTC on January 7, 2026. The order occurred during a 29-minute reporting window ending at 3:45 p.m. UTC, amid ongoing U.S. enforcement of sanctions on Venezuelan oil shipments, including Coast Guard seizures of two tankers earlier on January 7, as announced by the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security. Separately, an X post by @therealbuni referenced a video uploaded by President Donald J. Trump months ago showing him supervising Delta Force training at a site described as a replica of a relevant location, shared in the same window. These reports follow the Trump administration's plans for indefinite oversight of Venezuelan oil sales and the announced transfer of 30-50 million barrels of sanctioned oil to the United States by Venezuelan interim authorities, as reported by ABC News and CNBC earlier on January 7.
