Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro issued a fiery response to the US detaining a fighting boat within Venezuelan waters. He slammed Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the “lord of death and war.”
On Sunday, a US warship detained and searched a tuna boat within Venezuelan waters. Maduro told reporters on Monday that Caracas was prepared to “fully” exercise its “legitimate right to defend itself.”
The ship and its nine crew members were held by the US forces for several hours before they were released.
The boarding comes as the US has engaged in a large-scale military buildup in the Caribbean and threatened the Venezuelan government. Maduro said talks with Washington had “broken down.”
Rubio, who is also serving as the National Security Adviser, has been a longtime advocate of regime change in Caracas. Maduro targeted Rubio in his remarks on Monday, calling him the “lord of death and war.”
Rubio’s State Department has designated about a dozen Latin American cartels as narco-terrorist organizations, including two Venezuelan gangs. Rubio claims that Maduro is the leader of a narco-terrorist cartel and has issued a $50 million bounty on the Venezuelan leader.
Trump has authorized the Pentagon to use military force in foreign countries against alleged members of the designated narco-terrorist cartels. Earlier this month, the US conducted a strike on a boat after it left Venezuela, killing. Washington claims the vessel was operated by members of a cartel.
Multiple outlets have reported that the Trump administration is preparing to conduct strikes inside Venezuela. Maduro has responded by mobilizing millions of militia troops and increasing border patrols.
