Members of a United States War Ship intercepted a Venezuelan boat with nine fishermen in waters in the South American country, said Venezuela Foreign Minister on Saturday, 13, highlighting tense relations with the US.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Tensions between the two nations climbed after US President Donald Trump ordered in August the shipping of war ships to the Caribbean on the coast of the South American country, citing the fight against Latin American drug cartels.
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Reading a statement on Saturday, Venezuela Foreign Minister Yván Gil told reporters that the fishing boat was “illegally approached by a US Navy Destroyer” and 18 military personnel who remained on the vessel for eight hours, preventing communication and normal fisherman activities. They were then released under the escort of the Venezuelan Navy.
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The boat was allowed by the Ministry of Fisheries to do its work, Gil said at a press conference, during which he presented a video of the incident.
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“Those who give the order to carry out such provocations are seeking an incident that justifies a military climb in the Caribbean,” he said, adding that the goal of the attack is “to persist in a failed policy” of regime change in Venezuela.
The minister added that the approach was “illegal” and “illegitimate” and warned that the South American country will defend its sovereignty against any “provocation.”
Gil’s minister’s complaint occurs days after Trump said his country attacked a drug -laden ship and killed 11 people on board. The Republican stated that the vessel had departed from Venezuela and was carrying members of the Aragua’s Tren gang, but the US government showed no evidence to support this statement.
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Venezuela accused the United States of committing extrajudicial executions. The South American Interior Minister, Diosdado Cabello, said the Washington version is “a tremendous lie” and suggested that, according to Venezuelan government investigations, the incident could be linked to the disappearance of some people in a coastal region of the country, with no ties to drug trafficking.
The Trump government accused Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of leading a cartel to flood the United States with drugs and doubled the reward for its $ 25 million capture to $ 50 million.
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The US government has no signs that it plans to carry out a land foray with more than 4,000 soldiers mobilized in the region.
Even so, the Venezuelan government has asked its citizens to enlist in the militias – armed volunteers – in support of security forces in case of a possible invasion. This Saturday, the government also encouraged them to attend military barracks for training sessions
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*This content was translated with the aid of artificial intelligence tools and revised by the editorial team of Estadão.
