Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva issued a stark warning on Saturday against potential U.S. military action in Venezuela, cautioning it would unleash a regional "humanitarian catastrophe."

His remarks came during the opening of a South American Mercosur trade bloc summit, against a backdrop of escalating rhetoric and military posturing between Washington and Caracas.

The Brazilian leader’s comments followed U.S. President Donald Trump’s refusal to rule out the possibility of war with Venezuela in a recent interview. "I don’t rule it out, no," Trump told NBC News on Thursday when asked about military conflict.

“An armed intervention in Venezuela would be a humanitarian catastrophe for the hemisphere and a dangerous precedent for the world,” President Lula declared in his address. He expressed deep concern over the crisis unfolding on Brazil’s northern border and drew a historical parallel, stating South America was once again being “haunted by the military presence” of an external power, akin to the 1982 Falklands War.

Tensions have been rising as the United States has significantly increased its military deployments and operations in the Caribbean. Washington frames these moves as part of an intensified campaign against drug trafficking networks. However, Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro has consistently accused the U.S. of using anti-narcotics operations as a cover for a campaign of destabilization aimed at forcing regime change.

The U.S. government has leveled severe accusations against Maduro, claiming he leads a vast state-linked drug trafficking organization dubbed the "Cartel of the Suns"—an allegation Maduro vehemently denies. The U.S. has also imposed a blockade on sanctioned oil tankers to and from Venezuela, further crippling the nation’s beleaguered economy.

According to figures cited by Brazilian officials, U.S. airstrikes in the region targeting vessels alleged to be smuggling narcotics have resulted in at least 104 fatalities. Washington has not yet publicly provided evidence that the targeted boats were carrying drugs.

President Lula revealed he has directly urged President Trump to choose diplomacy over force. “I told him that things wouldn’t be resolved by shooting, that it was better to sit down around a table to find a solution,” Lula said, reiterating his offer to help mediate between the parties.

The 80-year-old Brazilian president called for restraint and a renewal of diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the situation, warning that further confrontation would have devastating consequences far beyond Venezuela’s borders, destabilizing the entire South American region. (ILKHA)