On Saturday, Venezuela’s foreign minister, Yván Gil, announced that a U.S. Navy vessel had forcibly boarded a Venezuelan tuna fishing boat while it was operating in local waters. According to Gil, there were nine fishermen on board at the time of the incident, highlighting the already tense relations between Venezuela and the United States.
The White House has not yet responded to requests for comments about this accusation.
Relations soured further back in August when President Trump made the call to send U.S. warships to the Caribbean near Venezuela, alleging the need to combat drug trafficking in the region.
In a press event, Gil stated that the fishing vessel was “illegally and hostilely boarded” by an American destroyer accompanied by 18 armed personnel. They allegedly occupied the boat for eight hours, hampering the fishermen’s normal operations and communication. Eventually, the Venezuelan navy escorted the fishermen back to safety.
Gil emphasized that the fishing boat had proper authorization to operate, according to Venezuela’s Ministry of Fisheries.
Alongside his statement, the Foreign Ministry shared a brief video purportedly filmed by the fishermen, which shows interactions with U.S. personnel and their warship.
“Those behind these provocations aim to create an incident that could ignite military actions within the Caribbean,” warned Gil, alleging that the U.S. agenda revolves around continuing its unsuccessful attempts to destabilize the Venezuelan government.
Describing the boarding incident as both “illegal” and “illegitimate,” Gil asserted that Venezuela is prepared to uphold its sovereignty against any provocations.
This warning follows a recent U.S. military action which resulted in the deaths of 11 people on what officials described as a drug trafficking ship. President Trump claimed the vessel originated from Venezuela and was involved with gang members, but no substantial evidence has been provided to back this claim.
Venezuelan authorities accused the U.S. of carrying out extrajudicial killings during this incident. Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello denounced the U.S. narrative as “a tremendous lie” and speculated that recent disappearances in coastal areas might be linked to this event rather than drug-related activities.
The Trump administration continues to characterize Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as a drug lord responsible for a surge in narcotics entering the U.S., even increasing the bounty for his capture from $25 million to $50 million.
While the U.S. has deployed over 4,000 troops to the area, there’s been no official word from the government regarding any planned ground assault.
In response, the Venezuelan government has rallied its citizens to join local militias—citizens who volunteer to support national security forces against potential invasions. The government encouraged citizens to participate in training sessions at military installations on Saturday.
