TRINIDAD-Junior minister told to stay in his zone.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC -Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar has told her junior minister, Phillip Alexander, that he was “totally out of line” after he became embroiled in a war of words with the Venezuelan Vice President, Delcy Rodríguez, last week.

Alexander, the Minister in the Ministry of Housing, had earlier suggested that India might “nuke” Venezuela to protect the Caribbean island after Port of Spain publicly endorsed the move by President Donald Trump to send military warships into the Caribbean Sea with the intent of preventing drug dealers from illegally carrying out their trade.

In a Facebook post, Rodríguez mocked Alexander’s remarks, saying, “the only nuclear bomb dropped was into the brain of this official’s newly-taken government., urging Trinidad and Tobago to focus on its own people and to distance itself from Washington’s alleged plans to exploit Venezuela’s resources.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Prime Minister Persad Bissessar distanced her government from the remarks of the junior minister, saying, “he was totally out of line.

“I do not share his views. I have since told him he needs to stay in his zone, let’s hope he complies. But, the Cabinet, my government, does not share the views expressed by that honorable minister”.

Alexander has since taken to social media to indicate his full support for Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar. “Big men take their missteps as learning opportunities. Ego is for kids. I support Kamla Persad Bissessar 100%,” he wrote.

Venezuela has since announced that it launched Operation Cumanagoto 200 with the Defense Minister, Vladimir Padrino López, saying, “there’s a lot of smuggling of fuel, weapons, ammunition, and human trafficking along the axis between Macuro, La Punta, Paria Promontory, and Trinidad and Tobago”.

President Trump has already said the US military has successfully bombed three vessels allegedly carrying drugs, killing more than 14 people.

Venezuela has since called on the United Nations to investigate what it said were serial executions of Venezuelans. Padrino Sunday warned that any attack on Venezuela would receive a response from its military.