Caracas asserts that US actions in the Caribbean are a military threat and are meant to steal its oil and gas wealth.

The U.S. has carried out several air strikes on Venezuelan vessels that the Trump administration has accused of carrying drugs and cartel members.

Venezuela said it has captured mercenaries "with direct information" relating to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as Caracas accused neighboring Trinidad and Tobago of a "military provocation" by carrying out joint drills with the U.S.

The multi-stop journey is emblematic of the circuitous routes used to avoid Western airspace or possible cargo inspections in unfriendly countries.

Tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela are ratcheting up, with a showdown between President Trump and Nicolás Maduro putting the two nations on the brink.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro accused Trump of warmongering after he deployed the U.S. Navy's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, to the Caribbean, saying in part, "The people of the United States know it, they are inventing a new eternal war."

Venezuela on Thursday said it had detected five US fighter jets flying near its Caribbean coast. Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino described the incident as a “provocation” by the United States that posed a threat to national security.

Underlying political tensions have surfaced among Venezuelans in Rome celebrating the recent canonization of the country’s first two saints.

This war on drugs is just beginning and it is not like Richard Nixon’s public enemy number one strategy or Ronald Reagan’s “Just Say No” campaign.

As Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro lashes out at interference, Trump has also intervened in other countries.

Venezuelan government officials floated a plan in which President Nicolás Maduro would eventually leave office, a bid aimed at easing mounting U.S. pressure on the government in Caracas.