Venezuela said it had detected five US fighter jets flying near its Caribbean coast, which Caracas said amounted to “provocation,” in the latest clash between the countries.
Tensions have been rising between the US and Venezuela for months, and Washington recently struck alleged drug trafficking boats off the coast of Venezuela.
Fears are growing among Venezuela’s leadership that the true goal of the US deployment is toppling the autocratic regime of President Nicolás Maduro, though some warn a military intervention could further destabilize the country. “Anyone who cares about democracy and human rights wants the Maduro dictatorship to end,” an expert at the Council on Foreign Relations said, but this strategy is “very unlikely” to make that happen.