Maduro Pledges Armed Resistance if US Attacks Venezuela

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro stated on Monday that he would declare a nationwide state of armed resistance under the constitution if the country were attacked by US forces deployed in the Caribbean. According to Agence France-Presse, Maduro claimed that eight US warships are currently stationed off the coast of his country, "carrying 1,200 missiles" aimed at Venezuela, calling it "the biggest threat our continent has seen in 100 years." CBS News reported that the US Navy has already deployed two Aegis missile destroyers to the Caribbean, the USS Gravely and the USS Jason Dunham, as well as two destroyers off the coast of Latin America, the USS Sampson and the cruiser USS Lake Erie. Reportedly, this military presence will be further expanded. A US defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Associated Press that three more amphibious assault ships would enter the area this week, with this force including more than 4,000 sailors and Marines. The US government is reportedly planning to continue strengthening its naval power off the coast of Venezuela this week to combat the threat from Latin American drug cartels. Although the US has not stated its intention to land the thousands of deployed personnel, the Maduro government continues to deploy troops along the coastline and on the border with neighboring Colombia, and is calling on the Venezuelan people to join militia organizations. "Faced with this extreme military pressure, we have declared the highest level of combat readiness to defend Venezuela," Maduro said, describing the US deployment as "an excessive, unjustified, immoral, absolutely criminal and bloody threat." US President Donald Trump is pushing for the use of military force to strike drug cartels, which he believes are the primary cause of fentanyl and other illegal drugs flowing into American communities, and exacerbating violence in some US cities. Washington accuses Maduro of being the leader of a drug cartel and has doubled the reward for his capture to $50 million. Of the eight Latin American drug cartels identified by the Trump administration, one is from Venezuela. It is currently unclear whether and when the US military will take action. Analysts told AFP that the US military deployment is unlikely to trigger an invasion or attack, but is intended to increase pressure on Maduro.

On Monday, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil, citing a United Nations report, told Latin American foreign ministers from several countries that the US naval deployment was based on a "false narrative," as 87% of Colombian cocaine leaves the country via the Pacific Ocean, and only about 5% of the drugs attempt to transit through Venezuela. Bolivia, a landlocked country, and Colombia, which has Pacific and Caribbean outlets, are the world's largest cocaine producers.