Following the United States action in Venezuela on Saturday, there have been subtle warnings to other Latin American nations believed to have been partnering with China, Iran, and Cuba among others.
Just hours after Special Operations forces and the Air Force joined other US military in the closely-coordinated bombing around the capital city of Caracas and the capture of Venezuela's leader Nicolas Maduro, Secretary of Defense Marco Rubio told reporters the operation sends a warning.
Accusing Cuba of being run by "incompetent, senile men," Secretary Rubio subtly said if he were in Cuba and part of the government, "I’d be concerned at least a little bit.”
To make his point, Rubio said Maduro’s guards and Venezuela’s “whole spy agency” are “full of Cubans,” and that “this poor island took over Venezuela,” according to The Hill.
He added that, from a security standpoint, Venezuela has been "colonized" by the socialist leaders in Cuba, a relationship that he said must change.
Both Cuba and Venezuela have been quite friendly with China, Russia, and Iran, including China's purchase of oil from Maduro's government at discounted prices, despite US sanctions.
China was, until Saturday, Venezuela's biggest oil customer and Cuba has been depending on Venezuela for the oil it needs to keep its energy sector running.
Cuba has been teetering on the edge of an energy shortage lately and the end of its oil partnership with Venezuela could prove a disaster for Florida's neighbor to the south.
President Donald Trump has also said “something has to be done” about Mexico, criticizing President Claudia Sheinbaum for allowing drug cartels to run her country.
And in another warning, President Trump said on Saturday that he's watching the nation of Colombia manufacture and ship cocaine to areas all over the world, especially the United States.
He said Colombia's drug shipments must stop, warning that Colombian President Gustavo Petro "does have to watch his a**.”