US Strikes, Carrier Deployment Heighten Venezuela Tensions

The Trump administration has escalated military operations in the Caribbean, deploying the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and carrying out strikes on vessels it labels “narcoterrorist” to disrupt drug trafficking and transnational criminal organizations. U.S. strikes off Venezuela’s coast have killed dozens, with reports estimating roughly 14 to 43 fatalities. U.S. officials have accused President Nicolás Maduro of ties to criminal groups including the Tren de Aragua; Maduro denies the allegations, condemned the buildup as a manufactured “eternal war,” and has moved to revoke the citizenship of opposition leader Leopoldo López. Critics and analysts warn the heavily militarized posture and assertive rhetoric risk sliding counter‑narcotics operations toward regime‑change objectives, raising legal and proportionality concerns and heightening regional tensions.