CARACAS, Venezuela: Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said this week that he has asked Pope Leo XIV to help mediate and sustain peace in Venezuela, as U.S. military operations intensify in nearby waters.

Maduro's remarks came amid a series of U.S. strikes on boats allegedly carrying drugs off Venezuela's coast — attacks President Donald Trump has described as part of an "armed conflict" with drug cartels. The Venezuelan leader said he had reached out to the pontiff in writing.

"I have great faith that Pope Leo, as I stated in the letter I sent him, will help Venezuela preserve and achieve peace and stability," Maduro said during his weekly state television broadcast.

He offered no details about the letter's contents, and Venezuela's presidential press office did not immediately release a copy or respond to requests for comment.

According to U.S. officials, the military has carried out four deadly operations in the Caribbean since last month, the latest on October 3, which left four people dead. The Trump administration has informed lawmakers that it is treating drug traffickers as "unlawful combatants," arguing that the use of military force is necessary.

The move, which invokes presidential war powers, signals a potential broadening of U.S. military action in the region and raises concerns about bypassing congressional approval.

Maduro, in turn, has repeatedly accused Washington of using anti-drug operations as a pretext to destabilize or topple his government.

Earlier this week, Venezuelan authorities also claimed to have uncovered a plot to attack the shuttered U.S. Embassy compound in Caracas. Jorge Rodríguez, president of the National Assembly and head of Venezuela's delegation in talks with the U.S., said officials had warned Washington "through three different channels" about a "serious threat" allegedly posed by right-wing extremists disguised as government supporters.

"Through a false-flag operation prepared by extremist sectors of the local right, there are attempts to plant lethal explosives at the U.S. Embassy in Caracas," Rodríguez said in a statement.

The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The embassy, which has been closed since the rupture of diplomatic relations in 2019, still maintains a small staff that oversees security and maintenance.

Rodríguez said Venezuelan authorities had reinforced protection measures around the compound and notified a European embassy to serve as a liaison with Washington. The large complex, he added, remains under constant surveillance by Venezuelan police patrols.