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Published : 27 Oct 2025, 02:30 AM
A US warship has arrived in the Caribbean island nation of Trinidad and Tobago, near the coast of Venezuela, Al Jazeera reports.
The development comes amid escalating tensions between Washington and Caracas.
According to the Al Jazeera report, the US guided-missile destroyer USS Gravely arrived in Trinidadian capital Port of Spain with members of the US Marines on Sunday.
The ship is scheduled to remain there until Thursday.
A team of US Marines will conduct a joint exercise with Trinidad and Tobago's defence forces during this time, the report said, citing the local government.
The warship is equipped with advanced weapons systems and helicopter operating capability. This exercise is part of a strengthening military operation by US President Donald Trump, primarily targeting Venezuela, against drug trafficking in Latin America.
Regional tensions are constantly rising surrounding the US operations against drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean region. Several people have been killed in US attacks on those vessels.
Since the beginning of last month, US forces have attacked several drug-carrying vessels, most of which occurred in the Caribbean Sea. The US warship's arrival near Venezuela follows an increase in such US attacks in the region.
Trump accuses Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro of leading a drug trafficking ring, Al Jazeera said.
Maduro, however, consistently denied these allegations.
The deadlock between the two countries intensified further last Friday when the US Department of Defense, the Pentagon, ordered the deployment of the world's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R Ford, to the Caribbean.
In addition to increasing military strength in the Caribbean, Trump also granted the CIA jurisdiction to conduct operations in Venezuela.
Venezuela’s Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino said the country has started defence exercises to protect its coastline from “large-scale US military threat”.
