As the US flew B-1 supersonic bombers near the coast of Venezuela on Thursday, the South American country’s President Nicolas Maduro prayed for peace.
“Yes peace, yes peace forever, peace forever. No crazy war, please!,” the Venezuelan president said during a meeting with unions.
Maduro’s comments come as US President Donald Trump has upped the ante on Venezuela, authorizing covert CIA action and military strikes against what he says are drug traffickers in the Caribbean and Pacific.
Escalation of regional tensions
Although Trump denied sending B-1 bombers to the Venezuelan coast, he hinted at a possible escalation.
“We’re not happy with them (Venezuela),” the US president told reporters on Thursday, but added: “We’re not necessarily going to ask (Congress) for a declaration of war.
“We’re just going to kill people who come into our country,” Trump went on to say in a dire warning.
Since September, the U.S. military has been carrying out deadly attacks against suspected drug vessels, with the latest attack coming Thursday.
So far, nine vessels – eight boats and a semi-submersible – have been targeted, with a total of 37 casualties.
However, the US has yet to release any evidence to show that drug smuggling was the target of the deadly attacks, and the ongoing attacks have led to Colombian President Gustavo Petro accusing Trump of authorizing “extrajudicial executions” in violation of international law.
While Trump accused Maduro of leading a drug cartel, which the Venezuelan president vehemently denies, the left-wing leader accused the US president of seeking regime change.
Amid the flare-up of regional tensions, fears of an expanded military campaign remain: while Trump has said the US has the legal authority to carry out strikes in the Caribbean and Pacific, he has not ruled out a ground campaign.
“We can do it, and if we do it by land, we can go back to Congress,” the Republican president told reporters Wednesday, adding, “We’re going to hit them very hard if they come by land. We’ll probably go back to Congress and explain exactly what we’re doing when we come on land. We don’t have to do that, but I think I’d like to.”
