US Aircraft Carrier Ignites Tensions in the Caribbean.. Venezuela Mobilizes 200,000 Soldiers and Vows to Respond

SadaNews - The Caribbean region is witnessing escalating tensions following the announcement by the US Department of Defense regarding the arrival of the aircraft carrier "USS Gerald Ford", the largest and most advanced aircraft carrier in the world, off the coasts of Latin America. Washington described this move as part of its anti-drug trafficking operations, while Venezuela perceives it as military escalation and a direct imperial threat.

The US Southern Command stated that the carrier strike group entered its operational scope in the Caribbean on November 11, following orders issued in late October, indicating that the mission aims to "support regional security and counter transnational criminal organizations".

The carrier includes four squadrons of fighter jets and three guided missile destroyers, as part of an increasing US military presence in the region since last August, comprising six warships.

In response, Venezuela announced a wide military mobilization that included ground, air, naval, and missile forces, along with units from the Bolivarian militia, stating that it aims to "respond to US imperial threats".

Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez confirmed that more than 200,000 personnel are participating in these exercises, emphasizing that his country is "guarded and protected" and ready to respond to any potential aggression.

In recent weeks, the United States has carried out around 20 air strikes on boats suspected of transporting drugs, resulting in the deaths of more than 70 individuals. These operations have drawn widespread criticism from the United Nations, Russia, and countries in the region, denouncing them as "illegal and constituent extrajudicial killings".

For its part, Russia, Venezuela's main ally, condemned these strikes, describing them as "unacceptable" and asserting that Washington is using the pretext of drug trafficking to justify its military movements in the Caribbean.

This escalation coincides with the conclusion of the summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States with the European Union in Colombia, whose closing statement emphasized the rejection of military intervention in internal affairs of states, and welcomed what was described as a first-phase agreement to end the war in Gaza, while condemning the Israeli escalation in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Observers warn that the continuing US military buildup in the Caribbean, alongside Venezuela's internal mobilization, could lead to an unprecedented confrontation in the region in decades, given the overlap of regional and international interests among Washington, Caracas, and Moscow.