President Nicols Maduro

For years, the hulking reinforced-concrete U.S. Embassy here has been a target of Venezuela's socialist leaders, who have expelled numerous senior American envoys. But the tension has perhaps never been higher than now, with authorities ordering diplomats out of the country by this weekend.

President Donald Trump said Friday that he would not rule out a U.S. 'military option' for dealing with ongoing strife in Venezuela, where President Nicols Maduro has cracked down on nationwide protests against his increasingly dictatorial government with widespread arrests and deaths at the hands of security forces.

For years, the hulking reinforced-concrete U.S. Embassy here has been a target of Venezuela's socialist leaders, who have expelled numerous senior American envoys. But the tension has perhaps never been higher than now, with authorities ordering diplomats out of the country by this weekend.

President Donald Trump said Friday that he would not rule out a U.S. 'military option' for dealing with ongoing strife in Venezuela, where President Nicols Maduro has cracked down on nationwide protests against his increasingly dictatorial government with widespread arrests and deaths at the hands of security forces.