Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed 10 Americans freed from Venezuela in July prisoner swap. President Donald Trump sent envoy to Caracas.

Two members of Venezuela’s Wayuu indigenous community in the area told NBC News that they witnessed an unexplained explosion on Dec. 18 that destroyed a hut that possibly was used for storage.

The number of American citizens held in Venezuela has grown since the start of the U.S. military and economic campaign against President Nicolás Maduro.

The following is a deep look at contemporary Venezuela, its history, its riches, its alliances and its delicate internal balance of power amid growing tensions with the US.

Trump acknowledged a covert U.S. strike on Venezuelan territory in an interview with a local news outlet on the day after Christmas, setting off a scramble to clarify which target he was talking about.

President Donald Trump has indicated that the U.S. has “hit” a dock facility along a shore as he wages a pressure campaign on Venezuela.

On Tuesday's "The Record with Greta Van Susteren," Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu praised President Trump's support against Iran and its proxies. Netanyahu claimed Iran is "in cahoots" with Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela and suggested they are sending weapons to the South American nation.

Today’s U.S.–Venezuela tensions aren’t just about a single strike or a single policy decision, they’re the result of years of political decay, economic mismanagement, and a long-running