The US military killed 11 people in a strike on a vessel officials said was carrying illegal narcotics off the coast of Venezuela.
Washington has in recent weeks moved several naval assets to Latin America in a bid to counter drug cartels, an operation Caracas said is an effort to drive regime change.
Whatever the underlying motivation, the White House has been increasing pressure on Venezuela, including by putting a $50 million bounty on its leader last month. Yet some experts fear the Trump administration’s expansion of its war on drugs could set off a wave of violence, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio due to discuss security with the Mexican and Ecuadorean presidents this week.
