US Navy Destroyer USS Nitze sailed into Venezuelan Waters

Heightening already increased tensions with the country, a Navy destroyer, the USS Nitze, entered Venezuelan waters yesterday, conducting what the military is calling a “freedom of navigation operation” in the Caribbean.

The Nitze, according to Southern Command’s official twitter account, was “contesting an excessive maritime claim by Venezuela. The U.S. Navy ship lawfully navigated an area the illegitimate Maduro government falsely claims control over?

The military has also dramatically increased its presence on Curaçao, an island just to the north of Venezuela, and in 2006 carried out a wargame there simulating an invasion of the country to capture a leader called “Hugo Le Grand.”

This time the US warship got to nearly 12 nautical miles from the coast where, last month, a botched invasion led by ex-Green Berets was foiled.

The team hoped to shoot their way to the presidential palace, capture President Maduro, and replace him with U.S.-backed politician Juan Guaidó.

Washington has been trying to overthrow the democratically elected government since the election of Maduro’s predecessor Hugo Chavez in 1998. Washington has quietly been gearing up for the possibility of a full-scale invasion for over a decade.

While the US regime has supported an array of coup attempts over the past twenty years, it has never gone through with any invasions, despite Trump’s repeated insistence that a “military option” was on the table.

This is primarily because, they have not been able to influence the country’s military leaders, who preside over well-equipped and loyal armed forces.

Instead, Washington has attempted to strangle Venezuela through sanctions, which have devastated the economy, blocking off virtually all foreign trade, including in oil, its primary commodity. This has led to crippling shortages of certain foods, medicines, and other essential product.

Mint Press / ABC Flash Point WW III News 2020.