From the 2002 coup to the 2026 attacks; The long road of confrontation between America and Venezuela

According to Isna, the deterioration of relations between Washington and Caracas is not a sudden phenomenon, and its roots go back to 2 decades ago, when this confrontation intensified with the inauguration of “Hugo Chávez” in 1999. The US government was accused by Caracas of supporting or at least complicit in the 2002 coup, fueling the political rift between the two countries. On the other hand, US officials have imposed a series of sanctions against Venezuela in different periods, alleging human rights violations and democratic backsliding.

In 2015, the administration of the then American President Barack Obama declared Venezuela a threat to the national security of the United States, and then during the first term of Donald Trump’s presidency, the pressure intensified with extensive oil sanctions and the recognition of Juan Guaidó as the “interim president” of this country. US officials have increasingly accused Nicolas Maduro’s government of ties to drug trafficking networks and described Venezuela as a “drug-related state”; An interpretation that Caracas has considered as a step towards laying the groundwork for overthrowing the government.

Subsequently, with the implementation of a new phase of what Washington calls “operations against drugs in the Caribbean”, tensions increased. Since 2020, the presence of American ships and reconnaissance flights has increased in the region, and Washington justifies this presence by claiming to counter the flow of drugs attributed to Venezuela.

The US Department of Justice has filed charges against Nicolás Maduro and some Venezuelan officials under the title of “drug-related terrorist acts”, and the Trump administration has sent warships and reconnaissance equipment to the site. Although the US government called these actions “anti-trafficking operations” and not war, the timing and scale of this military presence has been questionable for many observers.

Trump and the beginning of direct attacks

In recent weeks, this military presence has reached the stage of direct attacks in the sea. US forces have carried out several attacks against vessels they accuse of carrying drugs. Pentagon statements have described the targets as “narcotics-related elements,” and nearly 40 people have been killed in about 10 separate attacks in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.

The US justifies this operation citing “self-defense” and the link between the flow of drugs and national security. However, many independent experts and UN reporters have expressed doubts about the legal basis of these attacks and raised the possibility of violating international law.

On the other hand, Caracas completely rejects this American claim. Venezuelan officials believe that what the United States is after is not controlling drugs, but gaining geopolitical leverage over the world’s largest oil reserves. Maduro has described the US military presence as an “aggression under the guise of the fight against drugs” which aims to create a legal basis for hostile action.

Subversion under the guise of fighting drugs

Venezuelan authorities emphasize that this country does not cultivate the “coca” plant and its role in the supply chain of the drug “cocaine” which is extracted from this plant is very limited. Caracas cites UN statistics that show only a small fraction of the drug flow passes through Venezuela, especially compared to Colombia. Venezuelan officials insist that the U.S.’s use of these false labels — from “communism” to “terrorism” to “drug trafficking” — has only one goal: to destabilize and remove governments that are not aligned with American interests.

Caracas has also described the U.S. naval strikes as “extrajudicial executions,” an act that violates Venezuela’s national sovereignty and the United Nations Charter. Venezuelan diplomats have appealed to the United Nations and warned of “hostile actions” by the United States. Some spokespersons of the Venezuelan government have also suggested that the images published by the United States about the targeting of vessels may be fake; A claim based on which Washington is creating a false pretext for war.

Caribbean geography and drug routes

Conventional cocaine-trafficking routes from Colombia to the target market in the United States are usually not direct, crossing a network of countries and waterways in the Caribbean. It has been reported many times that the cargoes are taken from the shores of Colombia to the Caribbean waters, then they pass through routes such as Panama, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Western Caribbean countries and sometimes through Mexico to enter the United States; Also, multi-stage transit between Caribbean islands helps smugglers avoid maritime and air surveillance. In other words, the operational reality is that this drug transport route is not a straight line, but a multi-stage chain that starts in Colombia and passes through a series of waterways and intermediate ports, leading to the coasts of Central America and finally to Mexico or South Carolina.

However, the direct air distance between Venezuela and the coast of Florida in the United States is more than 2,500 kilometers, so from a geographical point of view, Venezuela is not the closest or even the most effective point for drugs to reach the United States, and the trafficking network includes many regions and countries. Despite these complications and among all these countries, the Pentagon has continued to show special attention to Venezuela and has increased operations and military presence in Caribbean waters; This violates the White House’s claim about the preventive and preemptive nature of these operations.

Military procurement and popular mobilization

Maduro’s government has proactively deployed troops in coastal and border areas. Mobilization of popular forces as a defensive measure has also been initiated and literature has been adopted that portrays the United States as preparing an unprecedented invasion in the Western Hemisphere. Maduro has announced that Caracas is ready to implement extraordinary measures if there is a direct attack on Venezuelan soil.

The Venezuelan government believes that Washington’s goal is not simply to apply tactical pressure, but to strategically collapse the government based on false justifications. Venezuela’s position is that America is not fighting drugs, but is seeking to rearrange political power in Venezuela through coercion and force.

Ultimately, the United States continues to escalate its attacks and Venezuela denies the White House’s claims, a stalemate that has pushed U.S.-Venezuelan relations to their lowest level in decades.

Military aggression

Finally, after months of escalation of tension in the Caribbean, the United States attacked Venezuela on Saturday, January 13, 2026, and targeted areas in the capital and its military bases.

In a statement issued by Foreign Minister Ivan Khel, the Venezuelan government described the attacks against the country as “an open violation and clear violation of the United Nations Charter” and warned that these actions threaten international peace and stability.

According to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Venezuela, the Venezuelan government categorically rejects any attack on the country’s territory and emphasizes that this military operation is an attempt to change the ruling system; An attempt which, according to him, “will fail like all previous attempts”.

The Venezuelan diplomatic official further announced that the United States is behind the recent attacks; Attacks targeting residential neighborhoods, infrastructure, as well as military and civilian targets, including downtown Caracas.

He added that Maduro has ordered the full activation of national defense plans throughout the country, the declaration of a state of emergency, the beginning of the phase of “armed struggle” in response to the aggression, and the immediate deployment of all popular defense forces throughout Venezuela.

Ivan Khel emphasized that Venezuela reserves the right to legitimately defend its people, land and sovereignty, and what is happening is a “direct aggression of US imperialism” which is aimed at seizing the country’s strategic resources, especially oil and gas.

He also asked all the national forces to prepare for the implementation of public mobilization programs and announced that the Venezuelan government will present official complaints to the UN Security Council and regional and international organizations.

“The United States of America has successfully launched a massive attack against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolás Maduro,” US President Donald Trump claimed on the “Truth Social” social network.

Continuing this claim, Trump wrote: “Maduro has been arrested and left the country (Venezuela) together with his wife.”

The American president also stated that the operation was carried out in cooperation with “law enforcement agencies of the United States”.

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