Venezuela’s president has announced that he will move into a phase of active military preparations to defend the territory amid escalating tensions with the United States.
“If Venezuela is attacked in any way, the country will enter a phase of planned and organized armed struggle with the participation of the entire population to counter the invasion, whether at the local, regional or national level, to defend peace, territorial integrity, sovereignty and our people,” Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on September 5.
The Venezuelan leader announced the start of training militias to defend the country, including the participation of citizens in the national defense system.
Mr. Maduro outlined the scale of the level of operational readiness of the defense forces, explaining that Venezuela is in the golden phase of integrated defense.
The Venezuelan leader explained that the country is currently in a phase of non-violent struggle, with the participation of political, informational and diplomatic measures.
The Venezuelan president’s statement comes amid escalating tensions with the US over anti-drug operations.
Earlier this week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US military had attacked a drug-carrying vessel in the Southern Caribbean that he said had left Venezuela. Secretary of State Rubio announced that President Donald Trump would launch a war against “narco-terrorist” organizations.
US media quoted sources as saying that President Trump is considering various options for military strikes against drug cartels in Venezuela.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on September 5, President Trump said Washington is concerned about “billions of dollars of drugs pouring from Venezuela” into the US.
US media also published a letter from President Trump to the leaders of the Senate and House of Representatives, in which he affirmed that the US is ready to continue military operations in the Caribbean to fight drug cartels.
“I am writing to inform you of the military action taken on September 2 in the Caribbean Sea, and the possibility of similar actions in the future. US forces remain prepared to conduct further military operations,” the letter dated September 4 said.
In recent weeks, the US has deployed at least eight warships and an attack submarine to the Caribbean Sea, and sent 10 F-35 stealth fighters to Puerto Rico.
On September 2, President Trump said the US military had killed 11 members of a Venezuelan drug cartel in an operation in international waters. According to Trump, Venezuela is taking inadequate measures to deal with drug trafficking.
Previously, on August 19, three US Navy destroyers were deployed to the southern Caribbean Sea, near the Venezuelan coast to conduct operations against drug cartels.
The nuclear submarine USS Newport News, the guided missile cruiser USS Lake Erie, amphibious ships and 4,500 military personnel were also deployed there.
The New York Times quoted a US defense official as saying that two Venezuelan F-16 fighter jets flew over the US Navy guided missile destroyer Jason Dunham in the southern Caribbean Sea.
The Pentagon called the move “a provocative move” that it said was “intended to interfere with US counternarcotics and counterterrorism operations.”
In a statement on September 4, the US Department of Defense also said Venezuela “is strongly advised against any further efforts to hinder, deter or interfere with US military counternarcotics and counterterrorism operations.”
President Trump warned that he would shoot down Venezuelan military aircraft if they continued to endanger US forces.