SAEDNEWS: Venezuela warned the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday that US military aggression against Caracas represents the opening phase of a wider strategy aimed at asserting control across Latin America.
Speaking at a meeting of the 15-member UN Security Council, Venezuela’s ambassador, Samuel Moncada, criticized Washington for pursuing what he called “continental ambitions” that extend far beyond Venezuela, according to Al Jazeera.
“It’s not just about Venezuela. The ambition is continental,” Moncada said.
He added that the U.S. government outlined this goal in its National Security Strategy, which states that the future of the continent belongs to the United States.
Moncada said Caracas wants the international community to recognize what he described as a deliberate effort to fragment the region in order to dominate it.
“We want to alert the world that Venezuela is only the first target of a larger plan. The U.S. government wants us to be divided so it can conquer us piece by piece,” he said.
Venezuela had requested the Security Council meeting earlier this month to address what it called “ongoing U.S. aggression” that it says began in September.
Moncada alleged that the White House carried out airstrikes against vessels in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean, accusing them of drug trafficking without presenting evidence. Washington maintains that the operations aim to stop the flow of narcotics into the United States.
Separately, Moncada said at least 105 people had been killed in attacks by U.S. forces, which legal experts and several Latin American leaders have described as “extrajudicial killings.” He rejected U.S. claims that the actions were motivated by security concerns.
At the meeting, Moncada also criticized the administration of former President Donald Trump for violating international law and U.S. domestic law by acting without congressional approval, which is required to declare war.
He condemned last week’s naval blockade of Venezuelan oil tankers sanctioned by the United States, describing it as “a military act aimed at laying siege to the Venezuelan nation.”
“Today, the masks have come off,” he said. “It is not drugs, it is not security, it is not freedom. It is oil, it is mines, and it is land.”
