Wilder Fernández has caught four good-sized fish in the murky waters of a small bay north of Lake Maracaibo. The contents of his net will serve as dinner for his small team before they set out to go fishing again in the evening. But this daily task is a job he has recently become scared of doing.
After 13 years as a fisherman, Mr Fernández confesses that he now fears his job could turn lethal. He is afraid he could die in these waters not at the hands of a night-time attacker - a threat fishermen like him encountered in the past - but rather, killed in a strike launched by a foreign power.
It's crazy, man, he says of the deployment of U.S. warships, fighter jets, a submarine, and thousands of U.S. troops in waters north of Venezuela's coast. The U.S. force patrolling in the Caribbean is part of a military operation targeting suspected 'narco-terrorists', which according to the White House have links to the Venezuelan government led by Nicolás Maduro.
Since September 2, the U.S. has carried out a number of strikes against what it labelled 'narco-boats', in which at least 27 people have been killed. The U.S. has accused those killed of smuggling drugs but has so far not presented any evidence. Experts have suggested the strikes could be illegal under international law.
Tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela escalated further when U.S. President Donald Trump said he was considering strikes on Venezuelan soil and confirmed that he had authorized the CIA to carry out covert operations inside Venezuela.
Mr Fernández is across the latest news. Even though the strikes occurred thousands of kilometers from where he fishes, his wife has been attempting to convince him to leave Lake Maracaibo. Every day she urges him to find another job, but he explains, there's nowhere to go.
He does not rule out that his boat could be hit 'by mistake'. Of course it worries me, you never know. I think about it every day, man, says the father of three.
One day after speaking with Mr Fernández, Trump announced that 'six narco-terrorists' had been killed in the latest U.S. strike in international waters off the Venezuelan coast. Trump stated that 'intelligence confirmed the vessel was trafficking narcotics'.
Venezuela's Defence Minister General Vladimir Padrino has warned the nation to prepare 'for the worst'. He said the country faces serious threats involving aerial bombings and naval blockades. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has called the attacks 'self-defense' in response to criticism regarding legality.
The ongoing conflict and the heightened military presence have created an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty for fishermen like Fernández and others in the region. Local voices have started to express defiance, including calls for peace and support for the current government, emphasizing that while they seek to protect their livelihoods, they also stand ready to defend their homeland.
After 13 years as a fisherman, Mr Fernández confesses that he now fears his job could turn lethal. He is afraid he could die in these waters not at the hands of a night-time attacker - a threat fishermen like him encountered in the past - but rather, killed in a strike launched by a foreign power.
It's crazy, man, he says of the deployment of U.S. warships, fighter jets, a submarine, and thousands of U.S. troops in waters north of Venezuela's coast. The U.S. force patrolling in the Caribbean is part of a military operation targeting suspected 'narco-terrorists', which according to the White House have links to the Venezuelan government led by Nicolás Maduro.
Since September 2, the U.S. has carried out a number of strikes against what it labelled 'narco-boats', in which at least 27 people have been killed. The U.S. has accused those killed of smuggling drugs but has so far not presented any evidence. Experts have suggested the strikes could be illegal under international law.
Tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela escalated further when U.S. President Donald Trump said he was considering strikes on Venezuelan soil and confirmed that he had authorized the CIA to carry out covert operations inside Venezuela.
Mr Fernández is across the latest news. Even though the strikes occurred thousands of kilometers from where he fishes, his wife has been attempting to convince him to leave Lake Maracaibo. Every day she urges him to find another job, but he explains, there's nowhere to go.
He does not rule out that his boat could be hit 'by mistake'. Of course it worries me, you never know. I think about it every day, man, says the father of three.
One day after speaking with Mr Fernández, Trump announced that 'six narco-terrorists' had been killed in the latest U.S. strike in international waters off the Venezuelan coast. Trump stated that 'intelligence confirmed the vessel was trafficking narcotics'.
Venezuela's Defence Minister General Vladimir Padrino has warned the nation to prepare 'for the worst'. He said the country faces serious threats involving aerial bombings and naval blockades. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has called the attacks 'self-defense' in response to criticism regarding legality.
The ongoing conflict and the heightened military presence have created an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty for fishermen like Fernández and others in the region. Local voices have started to express defiance, including calls for peace and support for the current government, emphasizing that while they seek to protect their livelihoods, they also stand ready to defend their homeland.
