US Special Forces Seize Massive Tanker off Venezuela, Maduro Hits Back with ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy’

CARIBBEAN SEA:  A dramatic military operation saw US forces execute a high-seas seizure of a large oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, an unprecedented move in the ongoing campaign against President Nicolás Maduro.

Video footage released by Attorney General Pam Bondi showed a military helicopter hovering over the vast ship, with troops descending onto the deck via fast ropes and moving with guns drawn.

A senior military official confirmed to CBS that the operation was launched from the USS Gerald Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, which was deployed to the Caribbean last month. The mission involved two helicopters, 10 Coast Guard members, 10 Marines, and special forces personnel. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth was reportedly aware of the operation, with sources suggesting the Trump administration is considering further similar actions.

The reaction from Caracas was explosive and highly theatrical. The Venezuelan government issued a statement condemning the seizure as a “grave international crime.”

Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello lashed out, calling the US “murderers, thieves, pirates.” He compared the US forces to “buccaneers” and suggested the incident was how the US “started wars all over the world.”

In stark contrast, President Maduro, speaking at a rally earlier on Wednesday before the seizure was publicly confirmed, offered a message to Americans opposed to war: a Spanish rendition of Bobby McFerrin’s 1988 hit, “Don’t worry, be happy.”

“To American citizens who are against the war, I respond with a very famous song: Don’t worry, be happy,” Maduro sang.

The dramatic seizure comes amid a significant US military buildup in the Caribbean Sea. BBC Verify previously reported that thousands of troops and the USS Gerald Ford have been positioned within striking distance of Venezuela, fueling intense speculation about potential military action.

The operation against the tanker Skipper, accused of transporting sanctioned oil linked to terrorist groups, is the latest in a series of aggressive maritime actions. Since September, the US has conducted at least 22 strikes on boats in the region allegedly involved in drug smuggling, resulting in at least 80 deaths. This seizure of a tanker carrying illicit oil further intensifies the stakes in the tense regional standoff.