Venezuela's opposition on Wednesday said that the government of President Nicolas Maduro had been surprised by the "international rescue" operation to remove five Venezuelan members of the opposition who had been living in Argentina's diplomatic residence in Caracas.

Five members of Venezuela’s political opposition have left the Argentine diplomatic compound in their country’s capital, Caracas, where they had sheltered for more than a year to avoid arrest and were in the United States on Tuesday,

The five officials ran one of the most consequential presidential campaigns in the country’s history while sheltering at the Argentine diplomatic residence.