Venezuela Claims US Is Waging ‘Undeclared War,’ Calls for UN Investigation

Venezuela Accuses US of ‘Undeclared War,’ Calls for UN Investigation.

Venezuela on Friday accused the United States of waging an “undeclared war” in the Caribbean and urged the UN to probe recent American strikes that killed at least 17 alleged drug traffickers on boats. Washington has deployed warships off Venezuela’s coast, supported by F-35 fighters stationed in Puerto Rico, as part of its stated anti-drug operations.

Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez described the strikes as executions without due process, while Attorney General Tarek William Saab called them “crimes against humanity” that warrant UN investigation. President Nicolas Maduro, who faces a $50 million US bounty over alleged drug trafficking, warned of a possible invasion and urged citizens to undergo militia training.

The US Southern Command has not provided detailed evidence linking the targeted boats to drug trafficking, raising legal and ethical questions. The strikes coincide with Venezuela’s military exercises on La Orchila island, near the Caribbean waters where the US intercepted a Venezuelan fishing vessel.

Maduro accused the US of pursuing “an imperial plan for regime change” to install a puppet government and seize Venezuelan oil. Opposition leader Henrique Capriles opposed any US intervention, calling for political solutions and the release of political prisoners.