Posted: Thursday, September 18, 2025. 8:54 am CST.
By Zoila Palma: Venezuela launched three days of military exercises on La Orchila island Wednesday as tensions rise over US military activity in the Caribbean, AFP reports.
The drills, dubbed “Sovereign Caribbean,” involve warships, aircraft, armed drones, and electronic warfare measures, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López announced. State television showed amphibious vessels and naval forces deployed near the site where US forces recently intercepted a Venezuelan fishing boat.
The exercises come after US operations in the region destroyed at least two Venezuelan vessels this month, killing 14 alleged drug traffickers.
UN experts have condemned the incidents as “extrajudicial executions,” while Washington has justified the strikes as part of its anti-drug mission. The escalation has fueled fears of an invasion, with President Nicolás Maduro vowing to defend Venezuela against what he calls US “aggression.”
Caracas has urged an investigation into one strike that left 11 dead, while senior official Diosdado Cabello questioned US claims, saying “Who saw the drugs?”
He added that Venezuelan authorities have seized more than 60 tonnes of narcotics this year, the highest since 2010.
The United States, which has placed a $50 million bounty on Maduro over drug trafficking charges, maintains the Venezuelan government is tied to cartels, a claim Caracas firmly denies.
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The post International News: Venezuela stages Caribbean military exercises as tensions rise appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
Posted: Thursday, September 18, 2025. 8:54 am CST. By Zoila Palma: Venezuela launched three days of military exercises on La Orchila island Wednesday as tensions rise
The post International News: Venezuela stages Caribbean military exercises as tensions rise appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.