Venezuela Condemns Hostile US Destroyer Boarding Caribbean Fishing Vessel

Tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela have escalated after a U.S. Navy destroyer, the USS Jason Dunham, intercepted, boarded, and occupied a Venezuelan tuna fishing vessel, the Carmen Rosa, within Venezuela's Exclusive Economic Zone for eight hours. Venezuelan officials condemned the action as illegal, hostile, and a direct provocation aimed at escalating military conflict in the Caribbean, emphasizing that the fishermen were innocent and authorized to fish. This incident followed a recent U.S. military strike in the Caribbean that killed 11 people on a Venezuelan boat accused by the Trump administration of narcotics trafficking, a claim Caracas has strongly rejected. The Cuban government and various political and social organizations throughout Latin America have denounced the U.S. actions as violations of international law and called for the withdrawal of U.S. nuclear ships from the Caribbean, declaring the region a Zone of Peace. In response, Venezuela has mobilized military forces nationwide and warned it is prepared for armed conflict if necessary, while the Trump administration has increased its military presence in the southern Caribbean, including deploying F-35 jets to Puerto Rico and raising the bounty on Maduro. The situation has raised concerns about a potential dangerous escalation fueled by U.S. actions perceived by Caracas as coercive and aimed at regime change.