#OSINT Report - Caribbean Flashpoint:
CIA Operations and Venezuelan Counter-Claims
🇺🇸 United States (Government / Pentagon / CIA)
→ President Trump confirmed authorisation for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to conduct covert operations in Venezuela.
→ Since September 2025 the U.S. has carried out at least seven maritime strikes near Venezuela (killing ≥ 32 people) targeting vessels alleged to be traffickers.
→ The U.S. has escalated its military deployment; the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier group is being sent to Latin America / Caribbean amid the tensions.
→ Official justification focuses on narcotics trafficking, migration flows, and “narcoterrorist” threats emanating from Venezuela.
🇻🇪 Venezuela (Government of President Nicolás Maduro)
→ The Venezuelan government condemned the actions as a “military provocation” by the U.S. and Trinidad and Tobago in concert with the CIA, claiming to have captured mercenaries “with direct information of the American intelligence agency” tied to a false-flag attack.
→ Venezuela has formally asked the United Nations Security Council to declare U.S. strikes illegal and affirm Venezuela’s sovereignty, citing at least 27 people killed in attacks on vessels off its coast.
→ Maduro and officials assert the U.S. aim includes regime change and control of resources (oil) under the guise of anti-drug and migration operations.
🌐 International / Legal / Monitoring Bodies
→ UN independent experts claim U.S. strikes in international waters near Venezuela amount to “extrajudicial executions” and breach international law.
→ Legal questions raised across the region over whether these operations comply with laws of war and maritime law.
📌 Forward Triggers
→ Escalation risk: Ongoing U.S. covert operations and naval deployments could provoke direct conflict in the Caribbean.
→ Verification gap: Claims of a CIA-linked false flag remain unverified — monitor for independent proof (geolocated media, forensic confirmation, detainee statements).
→ Resource dimension: Venezuela and allied voices increasingly frame the confrontation as a struggle over oil and strategic minerals.
→ Legal and human-rights pressure: Potential for UN inquiries or ICJ action if extrajudicial execution claims are substantiated.
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