US President Donald Trump on Sunday renewed accusations that Venezuela is sending "gang members, their drug dealers and drugs" to the United States, as tensions between Washington and Caracas rose following a US naval deployment and a deadly counter-narcotics strike in the Southern Caribbean.
Speaking to reporters in New Jersey, Trump said the flow was "not acceptable" and when asked whether the US would "start doing strikes on mainland Venezuela" he replied: "We'll see what happens." US officials have said the recent deployment of warships to the Southern Caribbean was part of counter-narcotics operations.
The spike in tensions followed a US strike on Sept. 2 against a boat that US officials said was carrying drugs from Venezuela; the attack killed all 11 people on board. US officials and the White House have pointed to a reduction in maritime traffic in the Southern Caribbean since that strike.
Legal experts and international law scholars have questioned the legality of the Sept. 2 attack, saying it may have violated international law. Two days after the strike, Venezuela responded by flying two F-16 fighter jets over a US Navy destroyer, an action that prompted Trump to warn that any Venezuelan jets putting "us in a dangerous situation" would be shot down.
Tensions briefly eased but escalated again when Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil accused US forces of boarding a Venezuelan vessel on Saturday. Gil described the ship as a "small, harmless" fishing boat and said it was seized "illegally and hostilely" for eight hours. Venezuela's Ministry of Information released a photograph of the vessel it said had been seized.
In a statement, the Venezuelan foreign ministry said those who ordered the seizure were "looking for an incident to justify escalating war in the Caribbean, with the aim of regime change" in Caracas. The allegation has not been independently verified by international investigators.
The developments come against a backdrop of strained US-Venezuela relations that intensified after many countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, refused to recognise President Nicolás Maduro's July 2024 re-election. Opposition figures and independent observers have reported evidence indicating that Maduro's rival, Edmundo González, won the election by a wide margin.
US officials have also accused Maduro of leading a narcotics organisation known as the Cartel of the Suns and are offering a reward of $50 million for information leading to his capture. Maduro has denied the allegations, called US actions an "imperialist move" aimed at ousting his government, and urged Venezuelans to enlist in the country's militia.
The militia, made up of civilians, has in the past been used mainly to boost numbers at political rallies and parades; recent reporting indicates that civilians have been receiving training and that some public sector workers have reported pressure to join. Maduro has framed militia recruitment as a defensive step against perceived US threats.
International responses to the unfolding standoff have been cautious. While some countries back US concerns about narcotics trafficking and alleged criminal networks tied to Venezuelan officials, others have urged restraint and called for the resolution of disputes through diplomatic channels. The legal questions surrounding the Sept. 2 strike and the competing claims about vessel seizures add complexity to any potential international measures.
As both sides trade accusations and military postures remain heightened in the Southern Caribbean, officials and legal experts say clarity on the facts of the strike, the boarding incident and the chain of command behind recent actions will be crucial in determining whether the dispute can be contained or will escalate further.