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Venezuela denounces US military deployment in the Caribbean as an “undeclared war”
Venezuela’s defense minister, Vladimir Padrino López, declared on Friday that the recent US military deployment in the Caribbean constitutes an “undeclared war.” His statement followed reports that US forces destroyed several boats allegedly linked to drug trafficking, killing 14 people.
“This is an undeclared war, and you can already see how people—whether or not they are drug traffickers—have been executed in the Caribbean Sea, executed without the right to defense,” said General Padrino López during a televised military exercise.
In response, Caracas launched three days of military drills on La Orchila Island, about 65 kilometers off Venezuela’s coast. The exercises represent one of the most visible mobilizations ordered by President Nicolás Maduro since Washington deployed a naval fleet to the eastern Caribbean last month, officially as part of anti-drug operations.
The US mission involves seven warships, a nuclear-powered submarine, and F-35 fighter jets stationed in Puerto Rico. Washington accuses President Maduro of ties to narcotrafficking and has placed a $50 million bounty on his capture.
Maduro, for his part, denounced what he called an “imperial plan for regime change” aimed at installing a puppet government controlled by Washington to seize Venezuela’s oil—the world’s largest reserves—and its vast gas resources. He also announced the mobilization of troops into urban neighborhoods to train civilians in weapons handling.
The standoff highlights rising tensions between Caracas and Washington, with both sides escalating rhetoric and military maneuvers in a region already marked by geopolitical rivalry.
