Caracas: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Friday criticized US military activities in the Caribbean, accusing Washington of planning to impose a 'puppet government' in his country. Maduro called US actions in the region 'an armed aggression to impose regime change, to impose puppet governments, and to steal Venezuela's oil, gas, gold and all natural resources.'

According to Anadolu Agency, Maduro made these remarks during an event in Caracas, where he ordered the mobilization of reservists and militias 'if it is necessary to move from unarmed combat to armed combat.' He stated that Venezuela would never humiliate itself before any empire, emphasizing that a moral, ethical, and political lesson would be taught in the years to come.

Venezuela has also lodged a complaint with the UN Security Council over what it described as an 'illegal airspace incursion' by US warplanes 75 kilometers off its coast. On Friday, the US carried out another strike targeting "a narco-trafficking vessel" off the coast of Venezuela, as reported by Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth. The strike resulted in the deaths of four individuals aboard the vessel, with no US forces harmed.

This recent strike marks the fourth such operation by the US in recent weeks, focusing on vessels allegedly carrying illegal drugs. Tensions between the Trump administration and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro have escalated following the US deployment of a naval group to the southern Caribbean, a move the US claims is aimed at combating criminal cartels and drug trafficking. Additionally, the US is seeking a $50 million reward for Maduro's arrest.