ISTANBUL

The US urged Americans on Saturday to “immediately” leave Venezuela, citing the security situation.

“The security situation in Venezuela remains fluid,” the US Embassy in Venezuela said in a statement, reiterating its “warnings against travel to Venezuela.”

The statement cited “reports of groups of armed militias, known as colectivos, setting up roadblocks and searching vehicles for evidence of U.S. citizenship or support for the United States.”

“As international flights have resumed, U.S. citizens in Venezuela should leave the country immediately,” it said, urging Americans there to “remain vigilant and exercise caution” when traveling.

“Venezuela has the highest Travel Advisory level – Level 4: Do Not Travel – due to severe risks to Americans, including wrongful detention, torture in detention, terrorism, kidnapping, arbitrary enforcement of local laws, crime, civil unrest, and poor health infrastructure,” the statement added.

The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry noted that the security alert is “based on non-existent accounts aimed at fabricating a perception of risk.”

Venezuela is in a state of “absolute calm, peace, and stability,” according to a statement by Foreign Minister Yvan Gil on US social media company X.

The US carried out a Jan. 3 military operation in Venezuela, capturing President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores.