00:00Let's have this great day of enlistment.
00:07It's an absolute falsehood.
00:11Badly false.
00:13Yeah.
00:142025 will be remembered as one of the most consequential years for U.S. military activity
00:20in the Caribbean since the Cold War, a year defined by escalating strikes, diplomatic
00:26standoffs, regional backlash, and a political showdown between Washington and Caracas that
00:32rippled across Latin America.
00:39The year began with U.S. naval deployments across key choke points near Venezuela.
00:45Arleigh Burke-class destroyers like the USS Gravely and USS Sampson became recurring fixtures
00:51in regional waters as Washington moved to dismantle what it described as vast drug trafficking
00:57corridors stretching from the Caribbean Sea into the eastern Pacific.
01:02By late summer, U.S. forces had established a near-constant presence, one the Venezuelan
01:08government labeled a direct threat aimed at destabilizing the Maduro administration.
01:18In August, President Nicolas Maduro responded by calling on millions of Venezuelans to enlist
01:24in the national militia.
01:25As commander in chief, I have considered it to be necessary and appropriate that Saturday
01:31and Sunday.
01:33Let's have this great day of enlistment and call to arms for all the militiamen, all the
01:39militia women of the country, all the reservists of the country, and every citizen who wants
01:46to step forward to tell imperialism, enough of your threats.
01:54Venezuela is rejecting you now completely.
01:58Across Caracas, tents filled with new recruits.
02:01Officials processed enlistment paperwork as lines wrapped around plazas.
02:05The government framed the mobilization as a patriotic act, preparing for what it portrayed
02:11as an encirclement by foreign imperialist forces.
02:20The conflict escalated sharply in early September.
02:24President Donald Trump announced, sometimes in real time, U.S. strikes on small boats Washington
02:29labeled drug-carrying vessels.
02:32Eleven narco-terrorists were killed in one high-profile strike, recorded and shared by Trump himself.
02:39A second strike followed days later, then a third, each video generating global attention.
02:45According to tallies released by human rights groups and reporters on the ground, at least
02:5083 people were killed in U.S. operations by September alone.
02:54Over the last few minutes, literally shot out a boat, a drug-carrying boat, a lot of drugs
03:01in that boat, and you'll be seeing that, and you'll be reading about that.
03:06It just happened moments ago.
03:15Venezuela insisted the U.S. narrative was fabricated.
03:19Vice President Delcy Rodriguez called Washington's accusations, including the claim that Maduro leads
03:25the so-called Cartel de los Soles, an elaborate farce.
03:30What is this great farce?
03:32It is nothing but a farce.
03:35It's an absolute falsehood, one that solely aims to attack Venezuela, to secure a territory
03:42that is geographically advantageous for drug trafficking routes, and to secure the immense
03:48energy reserves of our nation.
03:51Maduro, meanwhile, delivered increasingly defiant speeches, saying that despite psychological
03:57warfare and 20 straight days of U.S. threats, Venezuela was stronger than yesterday.
04:08The crackdown strained relations across Latin America.
04:11Colombia's President, Gustavo Petro, publicly warned against a possible invasion of Venezuela,
04:17saying Bogota would not allow its territory to be used for such an operation.
04:22Brazil's President, Lula Inácio da Silva, echoed those concerns, insisting the continent
04:28did not need foreign interventions or threats to its sovereignty.
04:32The messaging signaled a rare moment of unity among regional leaders, all wary of escalating
04:38U.S. operations near their borders.
04:45Back in Washington, Trump hinted the U.S. might expand beyond maritime strikes.
04:51Shortly after, U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hedgeseth released new footage of strikes in both the
04:57Caribbean and Pacific, saying they targeted drug smuggling operations as part of a broader
05:02hemispheric crackdown.
05:09Venezuela escalated its own preparations.
05:12Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez oversaw large-scale coastal defense drills and announced
05:19that nearly 200,000 personnel had been deployed nationwide for readiness exercises.
05:24He warned that Venezuela faced not only military threats, but also covert operations aimed at destabilizing
05:31the government from within.
05:33Then a surprising twist.
05:35Reporters revealed that President Trump and President Maduro had spoken directly by phone.
05:41Trump confirmed the call, but refused to describe.
05:43As December arrived, Maduro sought to show resilience, dancing at rallies, swearing in new party leadership, and proclaiming
06:09he would defend Venezuela with his life against foreign threats.
06:13For 17 weeks, foreign imperialist forces have been present.
06:21They continuously threaten to disturb the peace of the Caribbean Sea affecting South America
06:29and Venezuela.
06:31From U.S. destroyers striking boats at sea to militia enlistment drives in Caracas, from regional
06:37leaders warning of intervention to high-risk diplomacy behind the scenes, the year 2025 redrew
06:44military and political lines across the Caribbean.
06:47A year of conflict, controversy, and confrontation, and one that may shape U.S.-Venezuelan relations for
06:54years to come.
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