US military deployment

Cuba warned that U.S. military operations in the Caribbean pose "real and imminent dangers" to regional peace and called on the international community to mobilize

"Those asking for invasion are miserable people without a homeland," said the country's Interior MInister during his weekly TV show

Qatar has emerged as a discreet intermediary between the United States and Venezuela, seeking to keep open channels of communication as tensions between Washington and Caracas intensify

Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro and other senior officials claimed earlier this week that "extremist sectors of the local right" planned to place explosives near the U.S. Embassy. The U.S. government dismissed the claim

The Ocean Trader is capable of hosting up to 159 special operations forces in addition to its 50-member crew, operating at sea for as long as 45 days before resupply

Washington Examiner columnist Tom Rogan argued that U.S. military buildup around Venezuela should no longer be seen through the lens of a purely counter-drug trafficking concern

China warned on Friday that U.S. military activity in the Caribbean poses a threat to peace in Latin America, criticizing Washington's recent deployment of warships near Venezuela.

Richard Grenell, the Trump administration's envoy for Special Missions, confirmed that he has been in dialogue with Venezuela's authoritarian President Nicolás Maduro "on President Trump's orders," even as Washington increases military pressure on Caracas.

The comments by Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello come days after he declared Venezuela was ready for a "prolonged war" amid rising tensions in the Caribbean

In the message, Maduro rejected U.S. accusations that he and senior officials are tied to narcotrafficking, calling them "absolutely false"

United Nations human rights experts also condemned the strikes earlier this week, labeling them "extrajudicial executions"

The measure outlines a "multipolar order based on sovereignty and equality of states" and calls for high-level political dialogue between Caracas and Moscow

Meanwhile, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro declared Monday that his country's relationship with the United States is "completely broken," accusing Washington of waging military and political aggression

Authorities described the returnees as having faced "a difficult experience" and emphasized that they are now prepared to reunite with relatives and "begin a new stage filled with love and hope"

"International law does not allow governments to simply murder alleged drug traffickers," said the three independent UN experts in a statement on Tuesday

"There are plenty of tools that the U.S. government can use on the peaceful side" said Richard Grenell

The report says prisoners are bombarded with propaganda broadcasts of Nicolás Maduro and ruling party leaders, while families describe harsh restrictions on food, visits, and communication

The remarks followed Trump's Monday disclosure that a second Venezuelan vessel had been struck, killing three people on board

Patel did say that "a large portion of the cocaine that exits out of South America, its origination point is in Venezuela"

The country's Defense Minister accused Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago of acting on instructions from Washington during the current U.S. deployment in the Caribbean sea

Besides citing all the features available for Maduro inside the bunker, the former Pentagon official said it is protected by Cuban security personnel and directly connects to the presidential hangar

Maduro Guerra added that, although "the Venezuelan people are not a people of war" they would not back down in the face of conflict

Cabello also stated on Thursday that those killed in the September 2 operation were not drug traffickers or members of the Tren de Aragua criminal group, as the U.S. government has alleged

Cabello also urged Venezuelans to prepare for potential conflict: "our people must be prepared and alert, in every instance, on every front, in every way and form"

Minister Padrino López said the United States is orchestrating a campaign to create "false positives" as a pretext for military action against Venezuela

Governor González expressed her backing for the U.S. military operations earlier this week describing the deployment of forces as an effort to "attack the source" of drug trafficking

In recent weeks, Petro condemned Washington's deployment of naval assets near Venezuelan waters and rejected claims about the existence of the "Cartel de los Soles"

Villegas drew parallels to U.S. policy before the 2003 invasion of Iraq, saying that stigmatizing Venezuela's image internationally is meant to justify aggressive actions

"It would be much easier for the United States to combat and pursue money laundering within its own territory than to send ships to threaten a peaceful nation like Venezuela," added Vice President Rodriguez

Vice President Rodríguez cited United Nations drug reports from the last 27 years, which she said do not classify Venezuela as a significant route for cocaine trafficking