Venezuela's National Telecommunications Commission (Conatel) denied ordering the temporary suspension of Globovisión, Televen, and Venevisión transmissions in the capital region on January 4, 2026, between 5:45 p.m. and 6:15 p.m. UTC, stating on its social networks that the information is false and urging the population to follow official channels. Conatel described the claim as fake news in its social media post, as reported by eldiario on X during the 29-minute reporting window ending at 6:15 p.m. UTC. This denial comes amid heightened tensions following the U.S. military capture of Nicolás Maduro earlier January 4, with Vice President Delcy Rodríguez assuming leadership and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López declaring national operational readiness, according to prior reports. Separately, Elon Musk posted a laughing emoji quoting the phrase “I got a new type of oil for you Big Boy” on X during the same period, according to the post shared in the reporting window. The Conatel statement follows reports of a U.S. raid on Maduro's military residence, where a Venezuelan X account listed 15 security personnel killed, as detailed in previous coverage from the past hour.
