Trump claims the US destroyed a boat coming from Venezuela accused of drug trafficking.
US President declared that vessel was targeted in the Caribbean; Maduro denounces US military threat against Venezuela.
247 - US President Donald Trump declared on Tuesday (2) that US forces attacked and destroyed a boat allegedly carrying drugs that had left Venezuela. The action, according to the president, occurred after the recent deployment of US military vessels to the Caribbean Sea, under the justification of combating drug trafficking.
In a press conference in the Oval Office of the White House, Trump stated: "We just attacked a vessel loaded with drugs, this was moments ago, a little while ago (...) the shipment came from Venezuela. Many things are coming from there."The president further emphasized that "We literally destroyed a boat, a boat that was carrying drugs, a lot of drugs. And you will see and read about it. This happened a few moments ago.".
Washington intensifies pressure
Following the statements, Republican Senator and Acting Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the operation as a “lethal attack”He added that the attacked vessel had departed from Venezuelan territory and was operated by a "narcoterrorist organization" already approved by Washington.
This attack is the first publicly acknowledged since US troops were deployed in the southern Caribbean, ostensibly to combat trafficking routes. For Caracas, however, the move represents an escalation of military aggression against Venezuelan sovereignty.
Caracas reacts to the escalation.
The day before, President Nicolás Maduro had warned that Venezuela is experiencing... "the most serious threat of the last century" Due to the American mobilization. According to him, the US deployed eight warships, a nuclear submarine, and approximately 1.200 missiles pointed at the country in the region.
In a warning tone, Maduro declared that, in the event of aggression, the country would immediately move to a phase of armed resistance. “If Venezuela were attacked, we would immediately move to a period of armed struggle in defense of the national territory, history, and people of Venezuela. We would constitutionally declare the Republic in arms. From north to south, from east to west, to guarantee the peace, sovereignty, and development of the country under any circumstances.”.
