The president of the United States, Donald Trump, announced this Tuesday from the White House that U.S. military forces conducted a lethal attack in the Caribbean against a drug-laden vessel that had departed from Venezuela.
"We just fired upon a ship that was carrying a large quantity of drugs. You will see it and read about it. It left Venezuela and was coming in strong," Trump stated at a press conference, where he asserted that Washington is facing a constant flow of narcotics from that South American country.
The confirmation came minutes later from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who, from his personal account, wrote on X that the operation took place in the southern Caribbean and that the vessel was operated by a “narco-terrorist” organization designated by the U.S..
Maduro denounces "the greatest threat in a hundred years."
The attack immediately intensified the rhetoric of confrontation. A day earlier, Nicolás Maduro had appeared before the press to warn that Venezuela faces “the greatest threat it has faced in one hundred years”, referring to the deployment of U.S. ships, submarines, and marines off its coast.
“There are eight military ships with 1,200 missiles and a nuclear submarine targeting Venezuela. It is an extravagant, immoral, criminal, and bloody threat,” he said, visibly outraged.
The leader accused Washington of pushing the situation to a point of no return and stated that his country is in "maximum readiness for defense."
While the opposition leader María Corina Machado described the moment as decisive and stated that most of the Armed Forces and security bodies are aligned with the opposition.
“The high command must choose between sinking with Maduro or saving themselves by supporting the transition process. Freedom is near,” he stated in recent remarks.
Machado also insisted that Maduro's departure would have a domino effect in the region, especially in Cuba. “The political and intelligence framework that links Caracas with Havana will collapse with Maduro's fall. It will be the beginning of the end of the Cuban dictatorship,” she emphasized.
A crisis that transcends borders
Tensions have raised alarms in the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), which called for an extraordinary meeting of foreign ministers to analyze the situation. Several governments expressed their concern about a potential direct military operation against Caracas.
In parallel, the regime of Miguel Díaz-Canel rallied in support of its Venezuelan ally and promised “unconditional support” in response to what it described as “imperialist threats” from the United States, reinforcing the historic alliance between Havana and Caracas.
The truth is that, with missiles aimed at Caracas, cross warnings, and warships deployed in the Caribbean, the region is experiencing one of its tensest moments in decades, with Cuba closely watching the fate of its main ally.
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