CARACAS - Venezuela on Saturday accused a US Navy destroyer of illegally intercepting a Venezuelan fishing vessel carrying out normal fishing operations in the Venezuelan exclusive economic zone on Friday.

The Venezuelan government said the fishing vessel Carmen Rosa, crewed by nine fishermen, was approached Friday about 48 nautical miles northeast of La Blanquilla island by the USS Jason Dunham (DDG-109) destroyer.

In a statement posted on Telegram, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said the US destroyer deployed 18 armed personnel to board and occupy the fishing vessel for eight hours, during which it blocked the fishing vessel's communication and obstructed its normal operations.

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The statement called the US military move "a provocation through the illegal use of military means, aimed at justifying a war escalation in the Caribbean and pushing for regime change."

The Venezuelan government demanded that Washington "immediately cease these actions that put at risk the security and peace of the Caribbean," Gil said at a press conference on Saturday, reiterating Venezuela's commitment to peace and to defending its national sovereignty.