Maduro Pleads “No Crazy War, Please” as U.S. Steps Up Covert Actions and Strikes

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Thursday made an impassioned plea in English — “No crazy war, please!” — as tensions with Washington rose following U.S. authorizations for covert action and intensified strikes in the Caribbean and Pacific.

Maduro spoke to union members amid growing regional alarm over U.S. strikes targeting suspected drug smuggling vessels that began on September 2 and have, by U.S. tallies, killed at least 37 people.

The U.S. says the operations are anti-narcotics efforts; Maduro and other Venezuelan officials characterize them as hostile acts aimed at regime change. Caracas has responded with military exercises along its coast and warnings that any covert operations will fail, while international legal experts have questioned the legality of using lethal force against suspects in foreign or international waters without interception or due process.