MOSCOW, August 28. /TASS/. The US Navy has sent at least seven ships, including three destroyers, an amphibious assault ship, a missile cruiser, and a nuclear submarine, to the coast of Venezuela, ostensibly to combat drug cartels, the Financial Times reported, citing sources.
According to the newspaper, two of the destroyers, the USS Jason Dunham and the USS Gravely, are currently off the coast of Venezuela. The third destroyer, the USS Sampson, is currently in the Pacific Ocean, south of Panama. According to another source, the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima and two support ships, carrying a total of more than 4,500 servicemen, have also been sent to the region.
Reports also indicate the deployment of the nuclear submarine USS Newport News and the missile cruiser USS Lake Erie to the area. It is noted that these five ships are equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles.
In turn, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, in turn, expressed his gratitude to the governments of friendly countries for their solidarity and support of the country in the face of American aggression.
Earlier, The New York Times reported that US President Donald Trump had secretly signed a directive to begin using military force against Latin American drug cartels.
Washington has made unfounded accusations that Maduro belongs to the nonexistent Cartel de los Soles drug cartel, which is associated with the image of suns on Venezuelan generals' epaulettes. US Attorney General Pam Bondi announced an increase to $50 million in the reward for information leading to Maduro's arrest.