US conducts second military operation off Venezuela’s coast
The US Navy has conducted a second maritime operation close to Venezuela’s territorial waters in yet another act of provocation against Caracas.
The US Southern Command said on Wednesday that the guided-missile destroyer Pinckney had been deployed off the coast of Venezuela to “challenge” what it called the Latin American country’s “excessive maritime claim in international waters.”
It claimed that the warship conducted a “freedom of navigation” operation more than 12 miles off the Venezuelan coast and in international waters in the Caribbean Sea.
The Southern Command also referred to the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro as “illegitimate.”
It was the second time in three weeks that the US military was carrying out such an operation. On June 23, the US Navy deployed the guided-missile destroyer USS Nitze off the Venezuelan coast. Venezuela called that operation a provocation and said it would respond forcefully if the US warship conducted any military operation against Venezuela.
The administration of US President Donald Trump has been recently infuriated by increased cooperation between Venezuela and Iran, scaling up military presence in the Caribbean. Over the past couple of months, five Iranian tankers have delivered much-needed fuel to the Latin American country, defying US sanctions and pressure.
The Trump administration has been attempting to overthrow the democratically-elected government of Maduro, including with harsh sanctions on the country’s oil industry.
Back in May, a group of mercenaries attempted to intrude into the northern Venezuelan state of La Guaira on speedboats in a gung-ho operation to kidnap Maduro. Venezuela’s military foiled that attack, killing eight of the armed men and arresting several others, including two who were US citizens.
Washington has so far imposed several rounds of sanctions against Venezuela. It has also threatened military force to overthrow Maduro.
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