VENEZUELA CRISIS DEEPENS: Maduro Vows “Sea of Fire” as US Carrier Group Conducts Live-Fire Drills 180 km Offshore
Published Date: 13th Dec, 2025
Caracas / Miami – 14:22 VET, December 13, 2025 The standoff just got hotter.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro issued his most direct threat yet today, warning that any US military move would turn the Caribbean into “a sea of fire,” hours after the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier group conducted live-fire exercises just 180 km from Venezuelan territorial waters.
Maduro’s Latest Speech (Live from Fuerte Tiuna Military Base)
“Look at the horizon — the gringo fleet is there. But our missiles, our submarines, our air force are ready. If they touch one centimeter of our sacred soil, they will face the fury of Bolívar’s people!”
US Military Activity – Confirmed Today
- F-35B jets launched from USS Gerald R. Ford for live missile drills
- USS Winston S. Churchill fired Tomahawk simulation rounds
- B-52 bombers from Louisiana conducted low-level flyovers near Venezuelan airspace
- Pentagon: “Routine training in international waters — no hostile intent”
New US Actions Announced This Morning
- Treasury sanctions on Maduro’s wife Cilia Flores and two nephews for “narco-terrorism”
- Seizure of three more oil tankers in the Gulf of Paria (allegedly carrying sanctioned crude to Cuba)
- State Department raises travel advisory to Level 4: “Do Not Travel” — citing “risk of wrongful detention and military escalation”
Venezuela’s Counter-Moves (Last 24 Hours)
- Nationwide blackout drills “in preparation for US cyber attacks”
- Airspace closed to all flights from Panama, Colombia, and Portugal
- 50,000 additional reservists called up in coastal states
Live Reaction on X – Venezuela Trends
- #InvasiónGringa – 2.3 M posts
- “Mar de Fuego” – 1.1 M
- “Ford Venezuela” – 789k
Regional Fallout
- Colombia declares “humanitarian emergency” on border, expecting 500,000 new refugees
- Brazil moves troops to Roraima frontier “for border security”
- Cuba accuses US of “act of war” over tanker seizures
Expert Take Former US Ambassador to Venezuela William Brownfield (CNN interview): “This is the closest we’ve been to direct conflict since 2019. Maduro is cornered — he can’t back down without losing the military, but he also can’t win a war.”
Bottom Line The USS Gerald R. Ford is closer to Venezuela today than it has ever been in history.
Maduro is mobilizing like it’s 2002 all over again.
And nobody in Washington or Caracas seems willing to blink.
The Caribbean is holding its breath. One wrong move, and it could explode.
Date: 13th Dec, 2025
