 |
| Foto:X |
VISTORBELITUNG.COM,CARIBBEAN SEA , Tensions in the Caribbean reached a critical boiling point today as elements of the United States Marine Corps (USMC) began conducting amphibious operations off the coast of Venezuela. In a startling and unequivocal announcement, the U.S. Secretary of War confirmed that the deployment is "NOT training, it's a combat operation," marking a major and potentially game-changing escalation of the U.S. presence in the region.
The unprecedented move sees an Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) of naval vessels, heavily laden with Marines and their air-ground combat assets, positioned in international waters near Venezuela's territorial limits. Sources close to the Pentagon indicate that the operation involves the rapid deployment of Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) forces, traditionally used for immediate-action crisis response.
The official confirmation from the Secretary of War shattered weeks of speculation over the purpose of the massive U.S. military build-up. For weeks, the significant naval deployment which includes an amphibious assault ship, destroyers, and advanced F-35B stealth fighters had been publicly framed as an intensified "counter-narcotics" operation targeting drug cartels allegedly operating under the protection of the Nicolás Maduro regime.
However, the Secretary's blunt statement to the press late this afternoon removes any ambiguity. "Let me be clear," the Secretary stated, "the actions the U.S. Marines are now undertaking are not exercises for readiness. This is a targeted combat operation against criminal and terrorist elements that pose an undeniable threat to U.S. national security and interests. We have transitioned from interdiction to kinetic action."
The shift to declared combat operations follows a series of lethal U.S. strikes against suspected drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean over the past month. These strikes, which the administration claims have killed dozens of alleged "narcoterrorists," have been fiercely denounced by the Venezuelan government as "acts of piracy" and "extrajudicial killings" on the high seas.
The new amphibious deployment suggests a substantial expansion of the U.S. mission, potentially including the projection of force onto land-based targets or the capture of high-value individuals associated with the cartels. The presence of Marines, trained for sustained ground operations, drastically raises the stakes of the conflict.
In Caracas, government officials immediately condemned the move as an act of "imperialist aggression" and a flagrant violation of Venezuela’s sovereignty. The Minister of Defense for the Maduro regime has put the entire Venezuelan armed forces on "maximum alert" and promised a robust response to any incursion onto national territory.
Diplomatic experts are warning that the declaration of a combat operation carries immense risks of direct military confrontation between U.S. forces and the Venezuelan military. The operation also intensifies the international legal debate over the use of overwhelming military force in counter-drug operations outside.declared war zones.
Vistorbelitung will continue to provide updates on this developing situation.