The United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting Friday October 10 at the request of Venezuela to assess the situation regarding US military strikes on Venezuelan vessels in the Caribbean that have resulted in a number of deaths.
The Associated Press reported on October 10, 2025 (Edith M. Lederer, "US clashes with Venezuela and allies at emergency UN meeting on US strikes in Caribbean," AP, Oct. 10, 2025):
"Venezuela asked for the meeting of the U.N.’s most powerful body following deadly U.S. military strikes on four boats that Washington says were carrying drugs.
"Venezuela accused U.S. President Donald Trump of seeking to topple President Nicolás Maduro and threatening “peace, security and stability regionally and internationally.” The Trump administration has said three of the targeted boats set out to sea from Venezuela.
"The strikes, which the U.S. said killed 21 people, followed a buildup of U.S. maritime forces in the Caribbean unlike any seen in recent times.
"'The belligerent action and rhetoric of the U.S. government objectively point to the fact that we are facing a situation in which it is rational to anticipate that in the very short term, an armed attack is to be perpetrated against Venezuela,' Venezuela’s U.N. Ambassador Samuel Moncada said."
On Wednesday October 15, it was revealed that the US has authorized covert action by the Central Intelligence Agency against Venezuela. The New York Times reported (Julian E. Barnes and Tyler Pager, "Trump Administration Authorizes Covert C.I.A. Action in Venezuela," NY Times, Oct. 15, 2025):
"The authorization is the latest step in the Trump administration’s intensifying pressure campaign against Venezuela. For weeks, the U.S. military has been targeting boats off the Venezuelan coast it says are transporting drugs, killing 27 people. American officials have been clear, privately, that the end goal is to drive Mr. Maduro from power."
The Times further reported:
"The new authority would allow the C.I.A. to carry out lethal operations in Venezuela and conduct a range of operations in the Caribbean.
"The agency would be able to take covert action against Mr. Maduro or his government either unilaterally or in conjunction with a larger military operation. It is not known whether the C.I.A. is planning any specific operations in Venezuela.
"But the development comes as the U.S. military is planning its own possible escalation, drawing up options for President Trump to consider, including strikes inside Venezuela.
"The scale of the military buildup in the region is substantial: There are currently 10,000 U.S. troops there, most of them at bases in Puerto Rico, but also a contingent of Marines on amphibious assault ships. In all, the Navy has eight surface warships and a submarine in the Caribbean."