Caracas, Venezuela - The Venezuelan government admitted on Wednesday that members of the country's opposition left the Argentine diplomatic compound where they sanctuary for more than a year, but denied that their arrival to the United States took place under international rescue operations characterized by political factions and the U.S. State Department.

Venezuelan interior minister Diosdado Cabello said the group's movement was negotiated with the government and further claimed that one of the six people entering the residence of the Argentine ambassador in March left the compound in August, contradicting the opposition's early statements.

Cabello's remarks came about after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on social media that opposition members were on American soil after "successful rescue."

Argentina President Javier Milei's government allowed six people to enter the ambassador's residence when authorities loyal to Venezuela's ruling party issued an arrest warrant accusing them of promoting violence to stabilize the country. The group includes campaign manager and communications director for opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, and cabinet minister Fernando Martinez in the 1990s.

Martinez abandoned the compound in mid-December, in front of prosecutors, according to Venezuelan authorities. He died in February.

Rubio announced Tuesday that Machado was grateful for participating in what she called "impeccable, epic action to achieve the freedom of the five Venezuelan heroes." But Cabello claims that only four people remained in the embassy after Martinez left.

Since late November, the group has condemned the ongoing presence of intelligence service agents and police outside the residence. It also accuses the government of President Nicolás Maduro of cutting electricity and water services to the compound. The government denied the charges.

"They held their own show and, in the end, they ended up negotiating," Cabello said during a weekly performance on state television on Wednesday.

Cabello did not provide details of the group's movement to arrive in the United States, but claimed Machado had negotiated with the government to allow her mother to leave the country, and he said she did it on Monday through commercial planes heading to Bogota, the capital of Colombia.

Machado met in public in January and he did not immediately respond to Cabero's allegations.

Maduro's government usually targets its real or perceived opponents before last year's presidential election, and the crackdown on dissidents only increased after the country's National Election Commission plus Maduro's loyal fans, declaring him a winner despite solid evidence.

The election results announced by the Election Commission have sparked protests across the country, with the government responding by force and killing more than 20 people. They also prompted the end of diplomatic relations between Venezuela and various countries, including Argentina.

Machado's campaign manager Magalli Meda said on the X that her house was raided and shared the time flow, showing men wearing black, some with faces covered and bulletproof vests in the living room.

"We condemn this moment, despite Cabello's lying, his suppression arm violated our home in Caracas," she said. "The images were obtained remotely just a moment ago."

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Garcia Cano reported from Mexico City.