Venezuela Puts Military on Alert Over Alleged ExxonMobil Plot

Venezuela’s armed forces were placed on high alert over the weekend as Caracas accused foreign actors of plotting a false flag attack targeting ExxonMobil’s operations in the oil-rich Essequibo region—an area administered by Guyana but long claimed by Venezuela. The 160,000-square-kilometre maritime zone, home to some of Exxon’s largest offshore discoveries since 2015, has become the latest flashpoint in a decades-old territorial dispute. Venezuela’s military command vowed to respond with "vigorous action" to any perceived…