The US conducts a "freedom of navigation" operation in the Caribbean to challenge Venezuela.

247 - The US Navy's military maneuver in the Caribbean is led by the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, 'USS Pinckney' (DDG 91), one of the largest and most powerful ever built in the United States.

During the previous operation, on June 23, the US assured that they remained "outside the 12 nautical miles off the Venezuelan coast." However, the ship sailed through an area that Venezuela claims as its own.

"We will exercise our legal right to navigate freely in international waters without accepting illegal claims," ​​said Admiral Craig Faller, commander of U.S. Southern Command.

Since April, US naval forces have been deployed off the coast of Venezuela as part of an "anti-drug operation" in Caribbean waters.

Last week, US President Donald Trump stated that these operations, carried out in collaboration with "key regional partners" such as Colombia, led to "1.000 arrests and the seizure of 120 tons of narcotics, worth millions of dollars," allegedly intended to "finance" the Venezuelan president, whom Washington accuses without evidence of using "the proceeds from the drug trade to maintain his power."

Following these allegations, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro repudiated the "dirty, foul, and false accusations" against the South American country, stating that they only seek to "gain votes for Donald Trump's reelection," according to reports. RT.