A key meeting for leaders from across the Americas has been shelved until next year, as U.S. military strikes on boats in the Caribbean and near South America’s Pacific coast intensify tensions with Venezuela and divide the region.

The Dominican Republic had been set to host the 2025 Summit of the Americas, but its foreign ministry cited “deep differences of opinion” as the reason for the postponement without going into further detail.

Over the past couple of months, the region has been roiled by a series of deadly U.S. air strikes on boats off Venezuela’s Caribbean coast as well as more recently near Colombia’s Pacific coast, stretching as far north as international waters closer to Mexico.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio weighed in later on Monday, praising the Dominican Republic

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