U.S Southern Command announced that a U.S. destroyer had conducted a “[freedom of navigation] operation in international waters outside Venezuela’s 12 nautical-mile territorial jurisdiction… The ship lawfully navigated an area the illegitimate Maduro regime falsely claims to have control over”. Venezuelan Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez subsequently warned the U.S. by saying: “if you dare to carry out acts of law in the sea that corresponds to Venezuela, you will receive a response worthy of our patriots”.