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PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Venezuela launched three days of large-scale military exercises in the Caribbean following U.S. strikes on “narcoterrorist” drug trafficking boats.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Donald J. Trump, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, and Venezuela’s Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The exercises began this week on La Orchila island, Venezuela, amid heightened U.S.-Venezuela tensions in the Caribbean.

💬KEY QUOTE: “It is an aggression all down the line, it’s a judicial aggression when they criminalise us, a political aggression with their daily threatening statements, a diplomatic aggression and an ongoing aggression of military character,” Maduro said of the U.S. operations against drug traffickers.

🎯IMPACT: The situation has escalated tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela, with military actions and rhetoric intensifying on both sides.

Venezuela has launched a three-day military exercise titled “Sovereign Caribbean” in response to President Donald J. Trump’s recent strikes on drug trafficker boats in the region. Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López confirmed the operation involves the deployment of air defense systems, armed drones, and electronic warfare units. The exercises are taking place on La Orchila island, a Venezuelan military base, and feature 12 naval ships, 22 aircraft, and 20 small boats operated by Venezuela’s special maritime militia.

The move comes after U.S. forces carried out strikes on vessels linked to drug trafficking syndicates designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) in the Caribbean. President Trump publicly confirmed a “kinetic” strike on one such boat, saying those on board were transporting illegal narcotics from Venezuela to the United States. “The Strike occurred while these confirmed narcoterrorists from Venezuela were in International Waters transporting illegal narcotics… headed to the U.S.,” Trump said.

In response, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro condemned the U.S. action and accused Washington of attempting to destabilize his government. Maduro stated, “This isn’t tension. It is an aggression all down the line, it’s a judicial aggression when they criminalise us, a political aggression with their daily threatening statements, a diplomatic aggression, and an ongoing aggression of military character.” He warned that any further attacks could provoke a major confrontation, adding that Venezuela would declare a “republic in arms” if directly targeted.

The United States has labeled Maduro a “narcoterrorist” and placed a $50 million bounty on his capture. Maduro, in turn, accused U.S. forces of intercepting a Venezuelan fishing vessel in the country’s Special Economic Zone and detaining it for several hours, calling the incident an act of aggression.

The rise in tensions also comes amid growing concerns about Venezuelan criminal networks operating internationally. One such group, the Tren de Aragua, a transnational gang that originated in Venezuela’s Tocorón prison, expanded its presence into the United States at scale under former President Joe Biden. U.S. authorities have linked the gang to human trafficking, extortion, drug smuggling, and violent crimes in many American cities.

According to recent reports, federal law enforcement has tracked Tren de Aragua operations in places like Denver, where gang members have been involved in organized criminal activity.

Image via Wikimedia Commons.

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