The American operation involving elite Delta Force operatives aimed at removing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife from the country is not the first of its kind.
Historical analyses link this case to the American intervention in Panama in 1989, where special forces arrested Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega.
The intervention, called "Operation Just Cause", began on December 20, 1989 with the aim of overthrowing Noriega's regime.
He was arrested on January 3, 1990, after several days of hiding in the Vatican embassy in Panama, and was then extradited to the US, where he was tried for drug trafficking and money laundering.
Unlike the recent operation in Venezuela, Noriega's political downfall and capture occurred in two separate moments, December 1989 and January 1990.
