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The Cuban opposition leader José Daniel Ferrer delivered a direct and explosive message to the dictator Nicolás Maduro, amidst rising military tensions in the region and an unprecedented U.S. deployment in the Caribbean.
In a post on X, Ferrer urged the Venezuelan leader to step down before facing an end similar to that of historical figures who were overthrown by force or judged for atrocious crimes.
"Leave now, take Diosdado, Padrino, and the Rodríguez brothers with you. Avoid ending up like Saddam Hussein, Gaddafi, or Milosevic," Ferrer wrote, adding that both those in power in Venezuela and Cuba are narcoterrorist criminals.
"When they leave, to Russia or to China? Stop by Cuba and take Raúl Castro, Canel, and Marrero with you. Don't leave them alone; they have very little time left," he said.
The activist urged the leaders to "not delay" and flee before it is too late.
"It is time for Venezuela and Cuba to be free and happy," he emphasized.
Ferrer accompanied the message with an image taken on Wednesday at the White House, where senior Pentagon officials presented updated military options to President Donald Trump for operations in Venezuela.
Sources cited by CBS confirmed that War Secretary Pete Hegseth, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine, and other officials presented the president with proposals that even include ground attacks.
Although a final decision has not been made, the mere existence of these deliberations sent a clear signal to Caracas.
The military pressure from the U.S. is increasing
Ferrer’s warnings coincide with the new U.S. military operation announced under the name Southern Spear, presented by Hegseth as a massive hemispheric security effort.
According to the secretary, Trump's order marks a decisive step in the U.S. offensive against drug trafficking networks in Latin America, but its political significance cannot be ignored: it is a direct message of pressure on the Chavista regime, which Washington has accused for years of having ties to drug trafficking.
The operation, led by the United States Southern Command, has not been explained in tactical terms, which has raised doubts about whether it is a new deployment or simply a reorganization of the existing one.
However, what has clearly intensified is the military presence: destroyers, amphibious forces, and the USS Gerald R. Ford, the largest aircraft carrier in the world, are now operating near the Venezuelan coast.
At the same time, the United States has carried out at least twenty lethal attacks against vessels allegedly linked to drug trafficking in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific, resulting in approximately 80 deaths.
Maduro responds with accusations and military maneuvers
In light of the increasing international pressure and the growing possibility of direct military actions, Maduro accused the United States of creating "false narratives" to justify its militarization of the hemisphere.
"Since they can't claim that we have hidden biological or chemical weapons, they invent an absurd narrative," stated the Venezuelan leader in a televised speech.
The Minister of Defense, Vladimir Padrino López, described the U.S. deployment as a "blatant attack on sovereignty and peace."
The internal reaction was immediate: Caracas activated military exercises that mobilized 200,000 soldiers, in an attempt to demonstrate strength against what they refer to as a "imperialist threat."
An increasingly tense regional climate
With the strike group of the USS Gerald Ford now within the jurisdiction of Southern Command and lethal operations on the rise, the region is experiencing one of the highest military tensions of the past decade.
In this context, Ferrer's message gains greater resonance: it is not only a political warning but also a reflection of the increasing international perception that Maduro is facing accelerated isolation and a real risk of confrontation.
Ferrer, an emblematic figure of the Cuban opposition, took advantage of this context to relate the Venezuelan crisis to the Cuban one, urging both Maduro and the leaders of Havana to relinquish power before their fate is determined by external forces or internal uprisings.
"Don't betray each other, run away together," he wrote.
At a time when the United States is reaffirming its military capability in the hemisphere and escalating pressure against Caracas, their words resonate in an environment where every move carries significant geopolitical weight.
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