Sat Aug 30 06:15:33 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a summarized news article based on the provided text, written from the perspective of an Indian news publication:
**Headline: U.S. Warship Transits Panama Canal Amidst Venezuela Tensions**
**Panama City -** The U.S. Navy guided missile cruiser, USS Lake Erie, was observed traversing the Panama Canal on Friday, August 29, 2025, moving from the Pacific to the Caribbean Sea. The transit comes amidst heightened tensions between the United States and Venezuela, with the U.S. having deployed warships to the southern Caribbean, ostensibly for anti-drug trafficking operations.
AFP journalists witnessed the warship passing through the Pedro Miguel Locks at approximately 9:30 p.m. local time. The USS Lake Erie had been stationed at the Port of Rodman on the Pacific side of the canal for two days prior to its transit.
Washington has accused Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro of heading a drug cartel, placing a significant bounty on his capture. While the U.S. has not explicitly threatened invasion, the deployment of warships near Venezuelan waters has raised concerns in Caracas.
In response, Venezuela has announced the deployment of 15,000 security forces to its border with Colombia for anti-drug operations. The Maduro government also stated it would patrol its territorial waters using drones and navy ships and claims to have mobilized over four million militia members in response to perceived U.S. threats.
The USS Lake Erie, a 567-foot-long, 9,800-ton vessel based in San Diego, California, joins the U.S. naval presence in a region already fraught with geopolitical tensions. This event raises further questions about the escalating tensions between the US and Venezuela.
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