Venezuela accuses US of ‘undeclared war’ in Caribbean

Venezuela on Friday denounced the United States for carrying out what it described as an “undeclared war” in the Caribbean, calling for a United Nations investigation into recent US strikes that killed at least 17 people on boats alleged to be involved in drug trafficking.

The US has deployed warships to international waters off Venezuela’s coast, accompanied by F-35 fighter jets stationed in Puerto Rico, in what Washington frames as an anti-drug operation.

“It 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 a defense,” Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said while attending a military exercise staged in response to the perceived US threat.

The remarks came just hours before US President Donald Trump announced another strike on a boat, claiming three more alleged “narcoterrorists” were killed, bringing the total deaths from recent operations to 17. Trump did not specify the timing of the attack but confirmed it occurred within the US Southern Command area, which includes the Caribbean, Central, and South America.

Questions have arisen over the legality of the strikes, as drug trafficking is not a capital offense under US law, and Washington has yet to provide detailed evidence confirming the targeted vessels were involved in drug smuggling.

Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek William Saab condemned the actions, stating: “The use of missiles and nuclear weapons to murder defenseless fishermen on a small boat are crimes against humanity that must be investigated by the UN.”

The US naval presence in the Caribbean, reportedly the largest in decades, has fueled fears in Caracas of a potential attack on Venezuelan territory. In response, Venezuela launched three days of military exercises on its Caribbean island of La Orchila, near the site where US forces recently intercepted a Venezuelan fishing vessel for eight hours.

President Nicolas Maduro, whose legitimacy Washington does not recognize, has urged citizens to join militia training to “defend the homeland.” He announced that troops will provide weapons training to residents in low-income neighborhoods, citing concerns over a potential US invasion.

Maduro, who faces a USD 50 million US bounty on drug trafficking charges, accused the United States of plotting “an imperial plan for regime change and to impose a US puppet government… to come and steal our oil.” He vowed Caracas would exercise its “legitimate right to defend itself” against any US aggression.

Opposition leader Henrique Capriles, a two-time presidential candidate and critic of Maduro, rejected the idea of supporting a US invasion. “I continue to believe that the solution is not military, but political,” he said, adding that Trump’s strikes risk strengthening Maduro’s hold on power. Capriles called for the release of nearly a thousand political prisoners and urged the Venezuelan government to pursue goodwill in foreign relations.