US Navy SEALs, members of Southern Command, conduct an exercise in Chile. Photo: US Southern Command/X.
By Pablo Meriguet – Sep 18, 2025
While Venezuela continues to train its militias, the United States keeps attacking small boats. These strikes have been criticized by experts and politicians for violating human rights and international agreements.
Tensions between the United States and Venezuela continue to rise. While an outright US invasion of the Caribbean nation has not happened, in addition to sending soldiers and warships to the Caribbean Sea, the US continues to take provocative action.
Trump says three boats destroyed
Although Venezuela has not been invaded, the United States has still taken military action against the country. Two weeks ago, Donald Trump announced that the US military had destroyed a boat carrying 11 people and, according to the president, transporting drugs. A later report released by Venezuela revealed that there were fishers on the boat. On September 15, Washington reported that it had destroyed a second boat, killing three people.
Trump said: “Kinetic Strike against positively identified, extraordinarily violent drug trafficking cartels and narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility. The Strike occurred while these confirmed narcoterrorists from Venezuela were in International Waters transporting illegal narcotics (A DEADLY WEAPON POISONING AMERICANS!) headed to the US… BE WARNED — IF YOU ARE TRANSPORTING DRUGS THAT CAN KILL AMERICANS, WE ARE HUNTING YOU!”
A few hours later, at a meeting with journalists at the White House, Trump said that three boats had been destroyed. He also had a message for Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro: “Well, I would say this: immediately stop sending the Tren de Aragua to the United States. Stop sending drugs to the United States.”
Although the Venezuelan government has criticized the attacks as provocations and human rights violations, it has not responded militarily. Caracas denies all accusations that allegedly link the Chavista government to drug trafficking groups, arguing instead that Washington’s recent moves are aimed at overthrowing the government.
Human rights violation?
The US attacks have received widespread condemnation even from liberal analysts.
In this regard, analyst Tiziano Breda told DW: “This shows that the first attack was not an isolated case, but that there is an attempt to standardize this practice as a new method of combating drug trafficking … [Furthermore, these actions] tend to increase the nervousness in Miraflores [the Venezuelan presidential palace] regarding the possibility that these attacks are only the prelude to a broader intervention, the effects of which are difficult to predict.”
In addition, analysts such as Mary Ellen O’Connell said that these attacks “violate fundamental principles of international law.” In this sense, such actions would constitute an illegal act on the part of the United States, which is also violating the Declaration of Human Rights by executing alleged drug traffickers in international waters without a prior trial.
Queen’s University professor Luke Moffet told the BBC: “Force can be used to stop a vessel, but generally non-lethal measures should be employed … [Such actions must be] reasonable and justified as necessary in self-defense, when there is an imminent threat of serious injury or loss of life.”
Colombian President Gustavo Petro rejected the attacks: “Killing three passengers on an unarmed and unarmored boat with a missile is murder. The US government is killing Latin Americans on their own land because it is territorial waters. It has no right to do so. If there are Latin Americans here who grant the US the right to kill Latin Americans, they are nothing more than lackeys.”
Despite this, Trump maintains that, given that these drugs are allegedly killing and poisoning Americans, the military has the right to stop them by any means necessary. Furthermore, “these extremely violent drug cartels pose a threat to U.S. national security, foreign policy, and vital interests,” Trump said.
Venezuela prepares
For its part, Caracas has continued in its years-long preparation for a potential US invasion. Yet, in recent weeks, Nicolás Maduro’s government has accelerated its efforts and called for large-scale voluntary enlistment campaigns and military training for its reservists.
“On September 13 … the people will go to their barracks, to their military units. A total of 312 barracks and military units have been set up throughout the territory of the republic, militiamen, enlisted men and women of the people,” Maduro announced.
On September 13, Venezuela launched the “Plan el Pueblo va a los Cuarteles” (“The People Go to the Barracks Plan”), which unifies the militia and professional combat forces in coordinated exercises. “We are in the training and cohesion stage, after the call-up stage, which was completed and continues to be completed through the Homeland System registration platform … All of the country’s potential will become national power if the imperialists decide to attack us,” said Venezuelan Minister of Defense Padrino López.
For now, the initial period of tense calm seems to be becoming less calm and more tense. Washington appears to be initiating a new form of combat in international waters that could have unforeseen consequences. For its part, Venezuela continues to gather its forces amid the aggression and the looming threat of an invasion that could mark a point of no return not only for the Caribbean country, but for the entire region.
