FILE: Caracas, Venezuela - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of national flag of Venezuela, street

Caracas, Venezuela - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
2. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Prof. Mirna Yonis, Central University of Venezuela (partially overlaid with shot 3/ending with shot 4):
"Up to this point, U.S. operations have been in international waters and not within Venezuela's so-called exclusive economic zone or territorial sea. Therefore, it is still a psychological escalation, but also a real operational one. I want to emphasize this - Venezuela's territorial limits are not only terrestrial but also maritime. They will react aggressively if they enter that space, just as they would if they entered deeper into Venezuelan territory on land. All of this has a cost.”
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Caracas, Venezuela - November 2025 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
3. Various of national flag of Venezuela, traffic
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4. Cityscape

Caracas, Venezuela - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
5. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Jose Castillo, Venezuelan academic specializing in geopolitics (partially overlaid with shot 6):
"They shield themselves with this 'anti-drug policy', which is not a true anti-drug policy but a geopolitical operation against a sovereign state. Trump himself announced that he could attack Colombia and Mexico. Consequently, that would be catastrophic for all of Latin America. Since Trump’s first term, he has attempted to implement a policy of maximum pressure. We hope that this policy of maximum pressure will decrease and that we can initiate a dialogue between two sovereign states. That is the bet we must make—not only for Venezuelans, but for all Latin Americans."
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FILE: Venezuela - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
6. Various of city view, traffic
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Caracas, Venezuela - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
7. Pedestrians
8. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Jose Matos, resident (partially overlaid with shot 9):
"I don’t believe that intervention is an option because any call to war will always be rejected. Any country, regardless of nationality or nation, must bet on peace and dialogue. I believe there is investment and commitment from the entire people, and I think there is preparation for these defenses. We are prepared; we are indeed ready."
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9. Matos in interview
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10. Traffic

Venezuelans have criticized the U.S. for ramping up pressure in the Caribbean following President Donald Trump's Thursday announcement of upcoming land operations against alleged drug trafficking networks, escalating concerns over regional tensions.

Speaking from his Mar a Lago estate during Thanksgiving remarks to U.S. troops, President Trump thanked the Air Force's 7th Bomb Wing for "helping deter Venezuelan drug traffickers". He claimed "85 percent of trafficking had been halted at sea" and said land operations would begin soon.

Trump also said that he could still hold talks with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, suggesting a possible diplomatic off-ramp, even as the U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean has reached its largest scale in more than three decades.

Prof. Mirna Yonis from the Central University of Venezuela said that while U.S. operations have remained in international waters, any entry into Venezuela's maritime territory would provoke a strong reaction and have serious consequences.

"Up to this point, U.S. operations have been in international waters and not within Venezuela's so-called exclusive economic zone or territorial sea. Therefore, it is still a psychological escalation, but also a real operational one. I want to emphasize this - Venezuela's territorial limits are not only terrestrial but also maritime. They will react aggressively if they enter that space, just as they would if they entered deeper into Venezuelan territory on land. All of this has a cost," she said.

Jose Castillo, a Venezuelan academic specializing in geopolitics, criticized Trump's approach as a geopolitical operation disguised as an anti-drug policy. He emphasized the necessity of dialogue between sovereign states.

"They shield themselves with this 'anti-drug policy', which is not a true anti-drug policy but a geopolitical operation against a sovereign state. Trump himself announced that he could attack Colombia and Mexico. Consequently, that would be catastrophic for all of Latin America," he said.

"Since Trump’s first term, he has attempted to implement a policy of maximum pressure. We hope that this policy of maximum pressure will decrease and that we can initiate a dialogue between two sovereign states. That is the bet we must make—not only for Venezuelans, but for all Latin Americans," said Castillo.

Meanwhile, Venezuelan residents have called for a rejection of any war, urging all nations and peoples to commit to peace and dialogue.

"I don’t believe that intervention is an option because any call to war will always be rejected. Any country, regardless of nationality or nation, must bet on peace and dialogue. I believe there is investment and commitment from the entire people, and I think there is preparation for these defenses. We are prepared; we are indeed ready," said Jose Matos, a resident.

Since early September, the Pentagon has carried out more than 20 known strikes on alleged drug vessels in the Caribbean and East Pacific, killing more than 80 people aboard.

The USS Gerald R. Ford, a major aircraft carrier, arrived in the Caribbean earlier this month, intensifying U.S. military presence in the region that has not been seen for at least three decades.

The Trump administration also designated the Cartel de los Soles, a group Washington alleged run by Maduro, as a foreign terrorist organization earlier this month.

The Venezuelan government said the organization was "nonexistent" and called the U.S. move a "vile lie."

Maduro has also denied having any ties to the drug trade, accusing the United States of "fabricating" a war aimed at regime change in his country.