Ambiguous US Operation Begins Around Venezuela

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - International Service: US Secretary of War Pete Hexath announced that the operation will be carried out under the direct order of Donald Trump and with the participation of the Joint Task Force South and the US Southern Command, and will include precision air strikes, intelligence operations and cooperation with local forces. Hexath described it as “a decisive action to defend the homeland.”

 

Although some sources have interpreted the launch of this operation as a possible attack on Venezuela, US officials have not yet directly announced the targeting of Venezuela. However, tensions between Washington and Caracas have reached a peak in recent weeks and months, and the US military has deployed a large amount of troops and military equipment in the Caribbean.

 

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has strongly criticized the US’s aggressive approach, calling on his people and Americans to unite for “peace on the continent,” stressing that his country is focused on managing affairs peacefully and does not want to be dragged into prolonged conflicts.

 

Over the past three months, the US has deployed some 15,000 troops and more than a dozen warships, including an aircraft carrier, to the Caribbean, the largest military presence in the region since the 1989 invasion of Panama. So far, at least 20 operations have been carried out against vessels suspected of drug trafficking in the Caribbean and the Pacific, resulting in the deaths of 80 people.

 

In response, Venezuela has mobilized its national armed forces and popular volunteers, holding large-scale exercises across the country and erecting defensive barriers on key routes to the capital. Maduro has announced that the number of reserve volunteers exceeds 8 million, and the national armed forces have about 123,000 personnel.