Speaking on his nationally televised programme, Con el mazo dando , Cabello said Machado had never planned to return to Venezuela and claimed she had travelled abroad for personal reasons.

"And it's all a show. She [Maria Corina Machado] was not coming here. She was going to her son's wedding. All of that was a scandal [...] Now she is in Panama, my little vinyl antennas informed me. They have her tucked away there in Panama because she wants to come to Venezuela," he said.

Cabello also dismissed reports that Venezuelan airspace had been closed to stop Machado from returning.

He said Simon Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía was undergoing repairs after sustaining damage during the earthquakes, but stressed that flights were continuing through other airports. He described claims of an air blockade as part of an opposition "narrative."

"She said she was coming to Venezuela to save Venezuelans. Let's see how many people she can save! They are miserable people who want to play with other people's pain. Miserable people," Cabello added.

Machado has not publicly responded to Cabello's remarks. His claims about her travel plans have not been independently confirmed.