List of wars involving Venezuela

This list includes all major armed conflicts involving the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and its predecessor states from the 18th century to the present.

Table

War of Jenkins' Ear (War of the Austrian Succession):

Battle of La Guaira – 1743
Battle of Puerto Cabello – 1743

Anglo-Spanish War:

Cutting out of the Hermione – 1799
Invasion of Venezuela – 1806
Battle of La Vela de Coro – 1806

War of 1812 (Sixty Years' War):

Battle of La Guaira – 1812

Conflict	Allies	Opponents	Results	Major battles
Venezuelan War of Independence (1810–1823)	Patriots 1810: Caracas Junta 1811–1816: Venezuela Colombia 1816–1819: Venezuela Haiti^[1] 1819–1823: Gran Colombia	Royalists Spain Supreme Junta Governorate of Venezuela Governorate of Colombia	Patriot victory Independence of Gran Colombia Dismemberment of the Spanish Empire	Battle of La Victoria – 1812 Battle of Alto de los Godos – 1813 Battle of Niquitao – 1813 – Admirable Campaign Battle of Los Horcones – 1813 – Admirable Campaign Battle of Taguanes – 1813 – Admirable Campaign Battle of Araure – 1813 Battle of La Victoria – 1814 Battle of San Mateo – 1814 Battle of Carabobo – 1814 Battle of Urica – 1814 Battle of San Félix – 1817 Battle of Matasiete – 1817 Battle of Las Queseras del Medio – 1819 Battle of Carabobo – 1821 Battle of Lake Maracaibo – 1823
Spanish Reconquest of New Granada (1815–1816)	United Provinces of New Granada	Kingdom of Spain	Spanish victory Reestablishment of the Viceroyalty of New Granada
Liberation Campaign of New Granada (1819–1820)	Venezuela New Granada British Legions	Spain	Victory Liberation of New Granada by Independentists
Ecuadorian War of Independence (1820–1822)	Patriots: Guayaquil Gran Colombia Chile Peru United Provinces	Royalists: Spanish Empire Viceroyalty of Peru Real Audiencia of Quito	Patriot victory Annexation of the territory to Gran Colombia
Gran Colombia–Peru War (1828–1829)	Gran Colombia	Peru	Stalemate Larrea-Gual Treaty * Peruvian invasion lost momentum after the Battle of Tarqui; Peru maintained supremacy at sea after the fall of Guayaquil. Coup d'état against President La Mar Colombian troops driven out of Bolivia Peruvian recognition of the Colombian annexation of Guayaquil Implicit Colombian recognition of Peruvian sovereignty over Tumbes, Jaen, and Maynas Status quo ante bellum
Federal War (1859–1863)	Conservative Government	Federalists	Federalist victory Treaty of Coche Establishment of a Federalist government	Battle of Santa Inés – 1859 Battle of Coplé – 1860 Battle of Buchivacoa – 1862
Venezuelan crisis of 1902–1903 (1902–1903)	Venezuela Supported by: United States Argentina	United Kingdom France Germany Italy Supported by: Spain Mexico Belgium Netherlands Denmark	Compromise Venezuelan debt dispute resolved European fleet withdraws
Dutch–Venezuelan crisis of 1908 (1908)	Venezuela	Netherlands	Dutch victory HNLMS Gelderland captures Venezuelan gunboats Alexis and 23 de Mayo Dutch blockade of Venezuela's coast
World War II (unofficial: 1942–1945; officially in 1945)^[a]	Allies United States Soviet Union United Kingdom China France Poland Canada Australia New Zealand India South Africa Yugoslavia Greece Denmark Norway Netherlands Belgium Luxembourg Czechoslovakia Brazil Mexico Chile Bolivia Colombia Ecuador Paraguay Peru Venezuela Uruguay Argentina	Axis Germany Japan Italy Hungary Romania Bulgaria Croatia Slovakia Finland Thailand Manchukuo Mengjiang	Allied victory Fall of Nazi Germany, the Empire of Japan, and Fascist Italy Creation of the United Nations Emergence of the United States and Soviet Union as superpowers Beginning of the Cold War
Invasion of Machurucuto (1967)	Venezuelan National Guard Venezuelan Army	Revolutionary Left Movement Cuban guerrillas Supported by: Cuba	Venezuelan government victory Cuban expedition fails.^[2]
Pemon conflict (2016–present)	Venezuela National Bolivarian Armed Forces Colectivos ELN Tupamaro	Pemon territorial guard Rebels of the 513 Infantry Battalion Armed Pemon and civil rebels Pemon and civil demonstrators	Ongoing
Operation Southern Spear (2025–present)	Venezuela^[3] Cartel of the Suns (alleged by the United States)^[b] Cuba^[12]^[13] Supported by: Russia^[14]	United States Supported by: Dominican Republic Trinidad and Tobago El Salvador^[15]^[16] Argentina^[17] United Kingdom^[18]	Ongoing US military buildup in the Caribbean Capture of Nicolás Maduro	Various US strikes on vessels (list) – 2025 Various US seizures of oil tankers (list) – 2025–2026 US strike on port in Venezuela – 2025 United States intervention in Venezuela – 2026

Notes

^ Venezuelan waters were one of the scenarios of the Battle of the Caribbean. Venezuela formally declared war on the Axis powers in February 1945.
^ While the involvement of various Venezuelan government and military officials with drug cartels has been documented,^[7] independent experts dispute the existence of an organized cartel run by these officials.^[11]

References

^ Arana, M., 2013, Bolivar, New York: Simon & Schuster, ISBN 9781439110195, pp. 186
^ "Cómo fue el "desembarco de Machurucuto", el intento de intervención militar en Venezuela ideado en Cuba por Fidel Castro". BBC News Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-02-07.
^ Samuels, Brett (16 December 2025). "Trump labels Maduro regime terrorist organization, orders blockade of sanctioned oil tankers". The Hill. Archived from the original on 17 December 2025. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
^ Pierson, Brendan (14 December 2017). "Nephews of Venezuela's first lady sentenced to 18 years in U.S. drug case". Reuters. Archived from the original on 5 September 2025. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
^ Ramsey, Geoff; Smilde, David (March 2020). Beyond the narcostate narrative — What U.S. Drug Monitoring Data Says About Venezuela (PDF) (Report). Washington, D.C., United States: Washington Office on Latin America. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 May 2021.
^ Kenney, Chelsa (3 July 2023). Venezuela: Illicit Financial Flows and U.S. Efforts to Disrupt Them (PDF) (Report). Washington, D.C., United States: United States Government Accountability Office. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 February 2024. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
^ ^[4]^[5]^[6]
^ "US targets Venezuela over 'Soles' cartel. Does it exist?". France24. 28 August 2025. Archived from the original on 29 August 2025. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
^ Pozzebon, Stefano (1 September 2025). "Trump claims Venezuela's Maduro is a drug-trafficking threat to the US. Does the data back him up?". CNN. Archived from the original on 1 September 2025. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
^ Paredes, Norberto (24 November 2025). "What is Cartel de los Soles, which the US is labelling as a terrorist organisation?". BBC. Archived from the original on 24 November 2025. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
^ ^[8]^[9]^[10]
^ Kurmanaev, Anatoly (18 November 2025). "Can Venezuela Count on Any Allies to Help if the U.S. Attacks?". The New York Times. ProQuest 3272673204. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
^ "Aumenta a 80 el número de muertos tras bombardeos de Estados Unidos en Venezuela, según NYT" [The death toll from US airstrikes in Venezuela has risen to 80, according to the NYT]. El Heraldo de México (in Spanish). 4 January 2026. Archived from the original on 7 January 2026. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
^ Altman, Howard (4 November 2025). "Moscow Just Gave Venezuela Air Defenses, Not Ruling Out Strike Missiles: Russian Official". TheWarZone.com. Archived from the original on 4 November 2025. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
^ Zegarra, Gonzalo (19 November 2025). "What we know of the countries backing US military moves in the Caribbean". CNN. Archived from the original on 19 November 2025. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
^ Mellen, Riley (6 November 2025). "U.S. Sends Attack Aircraft to El Salvador Amid Regional Troop Buildup: Visual investigations". The New York Times. ProQuest 3269372886. Archived from the original on 6 November 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
^ "Secretary Rubio's Call with Argentine Foreign Minister Quirno". US Department of State. 6 January 2026.
^ Sabbagh, Dan (7 January 2026). "UK helped US seize Russian-flagged tanker, defence ministry says". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 January 2026.

[2] Venezuelan waters were one of the scenarios of the Battle of the Caribbean. Venezuela formally declared war on the Axis powers in February 1945.

[13] While the involvement of various Venezuelan government and military officials with drug cartels has been documented,^[7] independent experts dispute the existence of an organized cartel run by these officials.^[11]

[1] Arana, M., 2013, Bolivar, New York: Simon & Schuster, ISBN 9781439110195, pp. 186

[3] "Cómo fue el "desembarco de Machurucuto", el intento de intervención militar en Venezuela ideado en Cuba por Fidel Castro". BBC News Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-02-07.

[4] Samuels, Brett (16 December 2025). "Trump labels Maduro regime terrorist organization, orders blockade of sanctioned oil tankers". The Hill. Archived from the original on 17 December 2025. Retrieved 18 December 2025.

[Reuters2017-5] Pierson, Brendan (14 December 2017). "Nephews of Venezuela's first lady sentenced to 18 years in U.S. drug case". Reuters. Archived from the original on 5 September 2025. Retrieved 17 September 2025.

[WOLA2020-6] Ramsey, Geoff; Smilde, David (March 2020). Beyond the narcostate narrative — What U.S. Drug Monitoring Data Says About Venezuela (PDF) (Report). Washington, D.C., United States: Washington Office on Latin America. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 May 2021.

[GAO2023-7] Kenney, Chelsa (3 July 2023). Venezuela: Illicit Financial Flows and U.S. Efforts to Disrupt Them (PDF) (Report). Washington, D.C., United States: United States Government Accountability Office. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 February 2024. Retrieved 17 September 2025.

[8] [4]^[5]^[6]

[France24Soles-9] "US targets Venezuela over 'Soles' cartel. Does it exist?". France24. 28 August 2025. Archived from the original on 29 August 2025. Retrieved 18 September 2025.

[CNN15Sep-10] Pozzebon, Stefano (1 September 2025). "Trump claims Venezuela's Maduro is a drug-trafficking threat to the US. Does the data back him up?". CNN. Archived from the original on 1 September 2025. Retrieved 24 November 2025.

[BBC24112025-11] Paredes, Norberto (24 November 2025). "What is Cartel de los Soles, which the US is labelling as a terrorist organisation?". BBC. Archived from the original on 24 November 2025. Retrieved 24 November 2025.

[12] [8]^[9]^[10]

[NYT18Nov2025-14] Kurmanaev, Anatoly (18 November 2025). "Can Venezuela Count on Any Allies to Help if the U.S. Attacks?". The New York Times. ProQuest 3272673204. Retrieved 20 December 2025.

[15] "Aumenta a 80 el número de muertos tras bombardeos de Estados Unidos en Venezuela, según NYT" [The death toll from US airstrikes in Venezuela has risen to 80, according to the NYT]. El Heraldo de México (in Spanish). 4 January 2026. Archived from the original on 7 January 2026. Retrieved 4 January 2026.

[16] Altman, Howard (4 November 2025). "Moscow Just Gave Venezuela Air Defenses, Not Ruling Out Strike Missiles: Russian Official". TheWarZone.com. Archived from the original on 4 November 2025. Retrieved 19 December 2025.

[CNN19Nov-17] Zegarra, Gonzalo (19 November 2025). "What we know of the countries backing US military moves in the Caribbean". CNN. Archived from the original on 19 November 2025. Retrieved 19 November 2025.

[NYTElSalvador-18] Mellen, Riley (6 November 2025). "U.S. Sends Attack Aircraft to El Salvador Amid Regional Troop Buildup: Visual investigations". The New York Times. ProQuest 3269372886. Archived from the original on 6 November 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.

[19] "Secretary Rubio's Call with Argentine Foreign Minister Quirno". US Department of State. 6 January 2026.

[20] Sabbagh, Dan (7 January 2026). "UK helped US seize Russian-flagged tanker, defence ministry says". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 January 2026.

[1]

[a]

[2]

[3]

[b]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

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[17]

[18]

[7]

[11]

[4]

[5]

[6]

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[9]

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Lists of wars involving South American countries
Sovereign states	Argentina Bolivia Brazil Chile Colombia Ecuador Guyana Paraguay Peru Suriname Uruguay Venezuela
Dependencies and other territories	Falkland Islands French Guiana South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

Years in Venezuela (1811–present)
19th century	1811 1812 1813 1814 1815 1816 1817 1818 1819 1820 1821 1822 1823 1824 1825 1826 1827 1828 1829 1830 1831 1832 1833 1834 1835 1836 1837 1838 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900
20th century	1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
21st century	2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026

Table

See also

Notes

References