Maduro warns Trump against ‘forever war’ as US military buildup near Venezuela escalates

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has appealed to US President Donald Trump to avoid dragging the region into an Afghanistan-style “forever war”, even as Washington intensifies its military presence in the Caribbean.

Speaking to CNN outside the Miraflores Palace in Caracas, Maduro urged the US to step back from a confrontation after the arrival of the USS Gerald R Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier. “No more forever wars. No more unjust wars. No more Libya. No more Afghanistan. Long live peace,” he said while navigating through supporters at a pro-government rally.

Hours later, US defence secretary Pete Hegseth ratcheted up pressure on Caracas, unveiling Operation Southern Spear — a Southern Command mission he said would “defend our homeland” and purge the Americas of “narco-terrorists”.

“The Western Hemisphere is America’s neighborhood – and we will protect it,” he posted on social media.

As to why the announcement came now remains unclear. The US Naval Forces Southern Command had already outlined the operation 10 months ago, describing it as a surveillance and interdiction effort using autonomous systems to track illicit trafficking in the Caribbean. Hegseth’s comments were seen by some analysts as an attempt to rebrand Washington’s broader pressure campaign against Maduro, which has included lethal strikes on suspected smuggling vessels.

Officially, the Pentagon describes the deployment as part of Trump’s “war on drugs”. But Venezuela is neither a cocaine-producing nation nor a fentanyl hub, fuelling speculation that the strategy is aimed at weakening or ousting Maduro — a long-standing goal of Trump’s first term.

Meanwhile, CBS News reported this week that senior US military officials had presented Trump with “options for potential operations in Venezuela, including strikes on land”, although no final decision had been taken.

Venezuelan foreign minister, Yván Gil issued a defiant warning to Washington, “Don’t you dare. We are ready.”

Reuters reported that Caracas has drawn up contingency plans for a “guerrilla-style response” in the event of US action, involving small, dispersed military units across more than 280 locations conducting sabotage operations.

A parallel strategy, described as “anarchisation”, would reportedly involve intelligence-linked groups generating chaos in Caracas to make the country ungovernable for any invading force.

As tensions rise, the deployment marks the largest US military movement in the region since the 1989 invasion of Panama, prompting fears that a geopolitical standoff could spiral into armed conflict.