Venezuela starts days of military and ‘electronic warfare’ drills after US strikes on alleged drug boats
Guardian22 hrs
Venezuela Launches Military Drills Amid US Caribbean Operations
Above: Lockheed Martin F-35B fighter jets of the U.S. Marines fly over the Roosevelt Roads Naval Station in Puerto Rico on Sept. 14, 2025. Image copyright: Kendall Torres Cortés/picture alliance/Getty Images
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Venezuela's military posturing cannot obscure the reality that drug cartels pose genuine threats to U.S. national security and vital interests. The strikes targeted confirmed narcoterrorists transporting illegal drugs to America, with the U.S. possessing irrefutable evidence of their criminal activities. Maduro's regime continues enabling drug trafficking while denying its role as a narcotics hub.
Establishment-critical narrative
These military exercises represent a necessary defensive response to clear U.S. aggression in Venezuelan territorial waters. American forces have killed 14 people without providing evidence of drug trafficking, violating international law through extrajudicial executions. The US deployment of warships and bounty on Maduro reveals the true objective — seizing Venezuela's oil resources under false pretenses of fighting drugs.