{"id":12895,"date":"2025-09-21T01:00:12","date_gmt":"2025-09-20T21:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/?p=8006543211017851"},"modified":"2025-09-20T22:59:21","modified_gmt":"2025-09-20T18:59:21","slug":"venezuela-accuses-us-of-undeclared-war-caribbean-tensions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/venezuela-accuses-us-of-undeclared-war-caribbean-tensions\/","title":{"rendered":"Venezuela Accuses US of Undeclared War Amid Caribbean Tensions"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"background: #f7fafc; padding: 15px;\">\n<p><strong>Quick Read<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Venezuela claims US military strikes in the Caribbean amount to an &#8216;undeclared war&#8217;.<\/li>\n<li>US attacks have reportedly killed at least 17 people in recent weeks.<\/li>\n<li>Venezuela and Colombia call for a UN investigation and condemn the US naval buildup.<\/li>\n<li>Even Venezuelan opposition leaders criticize foreign military intervention.<\/li>\n<li>The US says the strikes target drug traffickers but offers little evidence.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Venezuela Demands UN Investigation Into US Strikes in the Caribbean<\/h2>\n<p>In a dramatic escalation of regional tensions, Venezuela has accused the United States of waging what it calls an \u201cundeclared war\u201d in the Caribbean Sea. The accusation comes in the wake of a recent US military strike against a vessel that claimed the lives of three people\u2014a move that Venezuelan officials say signals a dangerous shift in American tactics and threatens the stability of Latin America.<\/p>\n<p>The incident, confirmed by US President Donald Trump on his Truth Social platform, involved a \u201clethal kinetic strike\u201d carried out under the auspices of US Southern Command. This command encompasses 31 countries across South and Central America and the Caribbean, highlighting the wide geographic scope of US military operations in the region. Trump claimed the targeted vessel was engaged in narcotics trafficking, but offered no concrete evidence or details regarding its origin or the precise location of the strike.<\/p>\n<p>According to <em>Reuters<\/em>, recent US operations in the Caribbean have resulted in at least 17 deaths over several weeks, raising alarm among both Venezuelan officials and international observers. The strikes have reportedly involved US warships and advanced F-35 fighter jets, further underscoring the seriousness of the military campaign.<\/p>\n<h2>Regional Leaders Question US Motives and Call for Legal Accountability<\/h2>\n<p>Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez issued a strongly worded statement on Friday, asserting, \u201cIt is an undeclared war. People, whether or not they are drug traffickers, have been executed in the Caribbean Sea without a chance to defend themselves.\u201d His remarks were echoed by Attorney General Tarek William Saab, who condemned what he described as crimes against humanity. Saab called for a United Nations investigation, stating, \u201cFiring missiles at defenseless fishermen on a small boat amounts to crimes against humanity and must be investigated by the UN.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Despite Washington\u2019s assertion that the strikes are part of an anti-drug campaign, skepticism persists. US officials have provided scant evidence linking the targeted vessels to drug trafficking, leaving critics to question whether the operations are justified\u2014or even legal\u2014under international standards. Experts point out that drug trafficking is not a capital offense under US law, casting doubt on the legitimacy of the killings even by American judicial standards.<\/p>\n<p>In response to the mounting threat, Venezuela has launched large-scale military drills on the Caribbean island of La Orchila. President Nicolas Maduro has gone so far as to claim that Washington is preparing an invasion, stating, \u201cThis is an imperial plan for regime change, to impose a puppet government and steal our oil.\u201d Maduro has called on citizens to participate in militia training and defend the country against what he terms \u201cimperialist aggression.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Opposition Voices and Regional Neighbors Join the Chorus of Concern<\/h2>\n<p>Interestingly, even Venezuelan opposition figures\u2014often critical of Maduro\u2019s government\u2014have condemned the US military actions. Henrique Capriles, a $1ial candidate, stressed that \u201cmilitary intervention is not a solution\u201d and advocated for political dialogue as the only viable path forward. \u201cPolitical dialogue is the only path forward, not foreign attacks,\u201d he said, urging restraint on all sides.<\/p>\n<p>The US military buildup in the Caribbean has drawn criticism from neighboring Colombia as well. Colombian Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio, in a statement released on Friday, labeled the US presence \u201cexcessive\u201d and \u201cdestabilizing for Latin America.\u201d She argued that the deployment of warships, submarines, and fighter jets off Venezuela\u2019s coast was \u201cdisproportionate\u201d and warned of the risk of a broader intervention. \u201cVenezuela is concerned; as is the entire region, about the risk of an intervention \u2026 Such a massive military buildup cannot be justified,\u201d Villavicencio noted.<\/p>\n<p>Villavicencio also disputed Trump\u2019s assertion that the US fleet was there to combat drug trafficking, suggesting instead that Washington may be preparing to strike Venezuela and potentially topple President Maduro. \u201cThis does not seem to be the legal way to pursue criminal groups,\u201d she emphasized, highlighting international norms regarding the treatment of suspects. Her remarks signal a deepening rift in US-Colombia relations, already strained by recent US sanctions and disputes between Trump and Colombian President Gustavo Petro.<\/p>\n<h2>Legal and Humanitarian Implications: Calls for International Oversight<\/h2>\n<p>The controversy has prompted calls for greater transparency and accountability. Human rights advocates and legal experts argue that the killings raise serious questions about due process and the rule of law. The lack of clear evidence and the absence of judicial proceedings have fueled accusations that the US is acting outside accepted legal frameworks. As Attorney General Saab pointed out, \u201cSuch actions must be subject to international scrutiny.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Venezuela\u2019s appeal for a UN investigation underscores the gravity of the situation. If substantiated, the allegations could trigger a broader inquiry into US military conduct in the region and the legal basis for its anti-drug operations. The mounting criticism from both allies and adversaries in Latin America suggests that Washington\u2019s approach may have unintended consequences, potentially undermining its stated goal of curbing narcotics trafficking.<\/p>\n<p>For now, tensions remain high, with both Venezuela and its neighbors on alert for further escalation. The prospect of an expanded conflict in the Caribbean looms large, as regional leaders weigh their options and the international community watches closely.<\/p>\n<p><em>What emerges from this crisis is not merely a clash between two governments, but a test of the balance between national security and international law. The US\u2019s aggressive tactics have united voices across the Venezuelan political spectrum and throughout Latin America, demanding accountability and transparency. As the world awaits the UN\u2019s response, the region faces a pivotal moment\u2014one that will shape the future of its sovereignty and the legitimacy of foreign intervention.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Venezuela denounces recent US military strikes in the Caribbean as an &#8216;undeclared war,&#8217; urging a UN investigation and drawing regional concern over a growing American naval presence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12894,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"googlesitekit_rrm_CAow5Nm1DA:productID":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[20063,7245,20064,6552,6413],"class_list":["post-12895","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world","tag-caribbean-crisis","tag-latin-america","tag-un-investigation","tag-us-military","tag-venezuela"],"featured_image_url":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/tmpt87sfghp.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12895","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12895"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12895\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12894"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12895"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12895"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12895"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}