Caracas.- Venezuela reported on Saturday that a U.S. vessel held a fishing boat sailing in Venezuelan waters for eight hours, at a time when the United States deployed eight warships to the Caribbean.

On Friday,"the Venezuelan vessel 'Carmen Rosa,' crewed by nine humble tuna fishermen (...) was illegally and hostilely attacked by a United States Navy destroyer, the USS Jason Dunham," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. The vessel was sailing"48 nautical miles northeast of La Blanquilla Island, in waters belonging to the Venezuelan Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)," it added.

In this regard, he explained that the US ship was equipped with powerful cruise missiles and manned by highly trained marines.

"Those ordering these provocations are seeking an incident that would justify an escalation of the war in the Caribbean, in order to further their failed policy of regime change," the statement said.

Caracas also considered this incident to reflect the"shameful" conduct of political sectors in Washington, which irresponsibly commit high-cost military resources.

Likewise, the Government indicated that the Bolivarian National Armed Forces recorded the incident with its air and naval resources, accompanying the fishermen until their release.

Venezuela demanded that the US"immediately cease these actions that endanger the security and peace of the Caribbean."

On August 19, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt confirmed the deployment of three ships carrying 4,000 troops to Caribbean waters near Venezuela.

The deployment comes amid rising tensions between Washington and Caracas following U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi's announcement in early August of a $50 million reward for information leading to the capture of Maduro, whom she accuses of leading an organization known as the Cartel of the Suns.

In February, the U.S. designated several cartels as global terrorist organizations, including Tren de Aragua, the Sinaloa Cartel, the Northeast Cartel, Carteles Unidos, and MS-13.

Meanwhile, the Soles cartel entered the list at the end of July.

Venezuela requested the support of UN Secretary-General António Guterres in response to what it considered a"threat" from the US in the Caribbean.

At the same time, the Maduro government mobilized militiamen and reinforced its borders to confront any US attempt to enter its territory.