KontraInfo
November 14th
The
United States government announced on Tuesday "Operation South Spear," a
military mission led by Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) and ordered by
President Donald Trump, under the pretext of eliminating so-called
"narco-terrorists" and "protecting the Western Hemisphere from drug
trafficking networks." The operation features an unprecedented
deployment, including the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford stationed
in the Caribbean, accompanied by more than 4,000 marines, tactical
aircraft, and warships. According to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth,
this operation "defends our homeland, eliminates narco-terrorists from
our hemisphere, and protects our people from the drugs that are killing
them."
The announcement comes amid escalating tensions with
Venezuela, which Washington accuses of being a key hub for these illicit
activities. The operation, part of an offensive launched in August,
involves bombings of suspected vessels in the Caribbean and the Pacific
Ocean, actions that have resulted in dozens of deaths. The Pentagon has
reinforced its surveillance capabilities with submarines and fighter
jets off the Venezuelan coast, and has also doubled the reward for the
capture of President Nicolás Maduro, who is accused of leading a drug
trafficking network without concrete evidence. "This deployment will
strengthen our ability to detect, monitor, and disrupt illicit actors,"
said spokesman Sean Parnell.
At the same time, the US
administration has authorized covert CIA operations in Venezuelan
territory, intensifying pressure that Caracas denounces as direct
interference.
From Caracas, the rejection has been immediate and
forceful. President Maduro denounced the maneuver as "a smear campaign
to justify a war and steal our immense oil wealth," noting that
Venezuela possesses the world's largest oil reserves.
Foreign
Minister Yván Gil described it as "an attempted invasion that violates
all international principles," while the president of the National
Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, called on the region to defend the Caribbean
as a "zone of peace" in the face of the "incalculable consequences" of
an armed conflict. Venezuelan authorities argue that UN reports rule out
drug trafficking from their country and that the accusations conceal
geopolitical interests, including decades-long CIA conspiracies against
Chavismo.
The international community has expressed concern about
the escalation. Russia, through Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, warned
that these actions "will lead to nothing good" and reflect the behavior
of "outlaw countries."
Russia's representative to the UN, Vasily
Nebenzia, called them a "blatant campaign of political and military
pressure." The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk,
condemned the bombings as "summary executions" that violate
international law, echoing criticisms from Colombia, Mexico, and Brazil.
Meanwhile, Venezuela is preparing legal action in multilateral forums,
in a context where the operation could redefine geopolitical dynamics in
Latin America.
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