VENEZUELA says it has captured CIA spies attempting to spark a US invasion – amid spiralling relations between Washington and Caracas.
Donald Trump‘s B-1 bombers were also seen flying off the Venezuelan coast on Monday – the US president’s latest show of force against Nicolas Maduro’s regime.
Venezuelan authorities said the CIA operatives were carrying out a “false flag” operation – a plot designed to make one party appear responsible for an act carried out by another.
They claimed the men were aiming to “generate a full-scale military confrontation” against Maduro’s pariah state.
It comes as Trump continues to pile pressure on the Venezuelan tyrant – who he accuses of funding drug-smuggling cartels.
His latest military deployment saw two menacing B-1B bombers depart Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota before flying near the Latin American nation’s waters.
Codenamed HOGAN11 and HOGAN13, the long-range heavy bombers, also known as “lancers”, were seen jetting over the Caribbean Sea in what is understood to be another “attack demo”.
Earlier this month, three American B-52s flew alongside Marine Corps F-35s in what US authorities called a “bomber attack demo”.
The 2nd Bomb Wing said following the first flyover: “Bomber Attack Demonstrations contribute to the collective defense of the Western Hemisphere and demonstrate the US commitment to the safety and security of the region.”
As part of his war on drugs, Trump has so far amassed around 10,000 troops, a group of US marines and at least 10 warships to the Caribbean.
Last week, it was also revealed the US president had deployed USS Gerald Ford – the world’s biggest aircraft carrier – to the region.
On Sunday, USS Gravely, a guided missile destroyer, arrived in Trinidad and Tobago on Venezuela’s doorstep.
The White House said the deployment was part of Trump’s ongoing efforts to put an end to drug trafficking.
His war on drugs has been punctuated by lethal boat strikes on “narco terrorists” allegedly smuggling drugs into the US.
Washington claims to have destroyed at least 10 boats suspected of smuggling narcotics – killing 43 people since September.
Trump has hinted that his campaign could soon move onto land.
This is a possibility that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has described as a plot to oust him from power.
Analysts have suggested that this show of force represents a modern extension of the Monroe Doctrine – now rebranded as the so-called “Donroe Doctrine.”
The alludes to the 19th-century U.S. policy that justified intervention throughout the Americas under the pretext of protecting regional stability and American interests.
Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek William Saab, a close ally of Maduro, said there was “no doubt” that Trump is attempting to overthrow the Venezuelan government.
“Trump wants to turn Venezuela into a colony of the US,” Saab claimed.
When asked about the risk of a land invasion, he said: “It shouldn’t happen, but we are prepared.”
Despite this, Saab insisted that Venezuela remains open to diplomacy, adding the country was “still ready to resume dialogue” with the US, despite what he described as its “illegitimate fight against drug trafficking.”
Trump has labelled Maduro “the leader of an organised crime gang”.
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15405148/venezuela-captures-cia-spies-invasion-plot/