The Venezuelan government's recent activation of the Independence Plan 200, intended as a show of strength, has been characterized as a demonstration of vulnerability, with limited participation and lack of public support, according to a report published on X (formerly Twitter) by antdelacruz_. The plan, which involved only 3 out of 8.5 million militiamen, occurred against the backdrop of continued detonations from a fireworks factory explosion in Maracaibo's industrial zone. The report, published within the past hour on September 11th, 2025, states that the Independence Plan 200, led by Nicolás Maduro, failed to garner popular support, with no large gatherings observed in the streets. The narrative of the event was reportedly confined to a small group including Maduro, Diosdado Cabello, and Delcy RodrÃguez, suggesting a fragile and isolated regime. This assessment follows earlier reports of significant explosions at a fireworks shed in the San Francisco Industrial Zone south of Maracaibo, which caused tremors felt across the city. The activation of the Independence Plan 200 was intended to deter the United States, but the report argues it has instead projected weakness and confirmed a lack of citizen backing following Edmundo González's victory on July 28, 2024. The European Parliament's resolution designating the "Los Soles poster" and a Colombian narco figure as terrorist organizations further isolates Maduro's government, with Brussels and Washington reportedly aligned in diplomatic and financial pressure. The military deployment associated with the "poster" is consuming resources and weakening Venezuela's economy and its capacity to react on multiple fronts. The report suggests that this situation presents a clear opportunity for Washington, indicating that a targeted military operation to neutralize the leadership of the "Suns Cartel" would carry low political costs, limited international condemnation, and significant impact on the cartel's structure. The strategy proposed for the West includes hardening coordinated sanctions, disrupting logistics chains, and reinforcing the isolation of the "Soles poster" until a constitutional restoration and a negotiated transition are achieved. The Venezuelan political landscape is described as entering a critical phase, with reduced room for maneuver for the regime's leader, increased international pressure, and growing legitimacy for more assertive measures. This analysis comes as detonations from the Maracaibo fireworks factory explosion, which began earlier in the afternoon, continued to be heard throughout the city, prompting significant ambulance mobilization to the site.
