CARACAS - Venezuela’s National Assembly has created a special commission to investigate a series of deadly U.S. military attacks on suspected drug-smuggling vessels off the Venezuelan coast and in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The decision was announced Sunday by parliamentary chairman Jorge Rodríguez on state television.
The move follows a Washington Post report claiming that U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the killing of all crew members aboard an intercepted boat in September, and that a second strike was subsequently carried out to eliminate two survivors. Rodríguez said the inquiry would be “rigorous and in-depth,” with the Venezuelan Public Prosecutor’s Office also participating.
Escalating Maritime Operations
For months, the United States has conducted an aggressive anti-drug operation involving airstrikes, naval assets, and special forces targeting vessels Washington says are used by narcotraffickers. Venezuela denies any role in such activities and accuses the U.S. of using drug enforcement as a pretext to destabilize the Maduro government and gain access to the country’s vast oil reserves.
Airspace Tensions Grow
Tensions rose even further after U.S. President Donald Trump declared on Saturday that the airspace over and around Venezuela should be considered “completely closed.” Caracas condemned the remark as a “colonialist threat” to the nation’s sovereignty.
Regional Impact
The developments are being watched closely across the Caribbean, including in Curaçao, where increased U.S. military activity, heightened regional surveillance, and rising geopolitical friction have already prompted air-traffic warnings and security advisories.
As both nations escalate rhetoric and operations, the region braces for potential fallout from one of the sharpest U.S.–Venezuela confrontations in years.