Venezuela Accuses US of ‘Undeclared War’ After Caribbean Strikes Kill 17

Venezuela on Friday accused the United States of waging an “undeclared war” in the Caribbean after a series of US military strikes killed at least 17 people on boats Washington alleged were linked to drug trafficking.

“It is an undeclared war… people, whether or not they are drug traffickers, have been executed in the Caribbean Sea,” Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said during a military drill staged in response to the US deployment of warships and F-35 jets in the region.

Hours later, US President Donald Trump announced another strike that he said killed three “narcoterrorists,” without specifying the location or timing. The Pentagon has so far released only partial evidence that the vessels were involved in drug trafficking, raising questions over the legality of the killings.

Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek William Saab called the strikes “crimes against humanity” and urged a UN investigation, accusing the US of using advanced missiles against “defenseless fishermen.”

The escalation comes as Venezuela launched three days of military exercises on its Caribbean island of La Orchila, near where a Venezuelan fishing boat was recently intercepted by the US Navy.

President Nicolás Maduro, indicted in the US on drug charges and facing a $50 million bounty, accused Washington of plotting an invasion to topple his government and seize the country’s oil. He urged citizens to join militia training, while opposition leader Henrique Capriles warned that US military action would only strengthen Maduro’s grip on power.