CARACAS, Nov. 20 — Downtown, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee drifts through Bolivar Square, where the bronze statue of Venezuela’s independence hero, Simon Bolivar, glows on horseback in the November sunlight.
Children run around, musicians play, and street vendors are ready for the afternoon rush… these are everyday scenes that seem untouched by the rising tension at sea.
Meanwhile, a few hundred kilometers away, multiple U.S. Navy ships have moved into Caribbean waters, a development many Venezuelans view as an escalating threat.
Since early September, U.S. forces have sunk more than 20 alleged drug-trafficking boats, killing over 80 people.
Washington framed the operations as counternarcotics measures, while Caracas said they are geopolitical pressure tactics aimed at destabilizing the country. (Namibia Daily News/Xinhua)
