donald Trump released a video Friday showcasing a recent U.S. military strike against a vessel suspected of involvement in drug trafficking off the coast of Venezuela, escalating tensions with Caracas. The video, posted on his social media platform, depicts what the U.S. claims was a successful operation targeting a ship linked to the “soleil Cartel,” a network the U.S. alleges is led by Venezuelan President Nicolás maduro.
The U.S. has accused Maduro of heading a drug trafficking network and recently doubled the reward for his capture to $50 million (approximately 42.5 million euros).The legality of these American strikes has been challenged by legal experts, who have labeled the actions “a licence to kill.” VenezuelaS Prosecutor General tarek William Saab has formally requested a United Nations investigation into the strikes, stating, “The uses of missiles and nuclear weapons to assassinate defenseless fishermen on a small boat are crimes against humanity which must be the subject of a UN investigation.”
Maduro has denounced the U.S. actions as “an imperial plan aimed at a change of regime to impose a pantoche government controlled by the United States.” In response, Caracas initiated three days of military exercises Wednesday on the Caribbean Island of Orchila, located approximately 65 kilometers from the mainland – the most notable military deployment ordered by Maduro in connection with the escalating situation. The incident underscores the ongoing power struggle between Washington and Caracas, and the increasing U.S. military presence in the Caribbean,which Venezuela has characterized as an “undeclared war.”
