Venezuela's Foreign Minister Yvan Gil warned against any attacks on his country as the U.S. ramps up pressure in the region, urging neighboring states to defend peace and stability.

"Any act of aggression against Venezuela is, in fact, an act of aggression against the entire region," the minister told Al Jazeera on Sunday.

Newsweek has reached out to the U.S. State Department for comment.

Why It Matters

The new warning comes amid a heightened U.S. military posture near Venezuelan waters and a campaign in the Caribbean that has intensified since September, involving boat strikes that killed dozens of Venezuelan nationals Washington accused of drug trafficking .

Venezuela says the operations, questioned by U.N. human rights groups and U.S. lawmakers, violate its sovereignty and

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