Venezuela deploys warships, drones after sending us destroyers of guided missiles in the region

Venezuela deployed on Tuesday warships and drones to patrol the country’s coast after the United States sent three destroyers to the region to put pressure on the president of the strong man Nicolas Maduro.

In a video on social networks, the Minister of Defense, Vladimir Padrino, announced a deployment of “important” drones as well as naval patrols along his Caribbean coast, including “larger ships in our territorial waters”.

This decision comes in the middle of growing tensions with Washington, who sent three guided missiles and 4,000 navies to Venezuela last week to limit drug trafficking.

On Tuesday, an American source told AFP that President Donald Trump sent two other ships to the Caribbean to suppress drug cartels.

A guided missile cruiser, USS ERIE, and a quick nuclear propulsion attack submarine, the USS Newport News, must be planned in the region next week, the source familiar with the move told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Despite dramatic military accumulation, analysts have minimized the possibility of an American invasion or American strikes in Venezuela.

In the streets of Venezuela, many people have also raised the threat shoulders as a posture.

Maduro, who claimed a third term in July 2024, the elections spoiled by allegations of fraud and a repression against the opposition, has been in the views of Mr. Trump since the first mandate of the Republic, from 2017 to 2021.

But his policy of Maximum pressure on VenezuelaIncluding an oil embargo still in force, failed to dislodge Maduro from power.

“I think what we see represents an attempt to create anxiety in government circles and to force Maduro to negotiate something,” the analyst of the international crisis group told AFP.

Since his return to power in January, Mr. Trump’s attacks on Venezuela have mainly focused on the activities of the powerful transnational gangs in the South American country.

Washington accuses Maduro of directing a cocaine traffic cartel, cartel of Los Soles, which the Trump administration has appointed a terrorist organization.

The United States recently doubled his bonus $ 50 million in exchange for the capture of Maduro to deal with drug charges. Last year, the We grabbed an airplane Belonging to Maduro and brought it to the United States, the Ministry of Justice stating that the jet had been exported from Florida to violation of American sanctions.

“Bizarre threats”

Maduro accused Trump of having tried to make diet changes and launched a campaign to register thousands of militias. Thousands of civil servants, housewives and retirees aligned in the capital of Venezuela during the weekend to join the country’s militia after Maduro called citizens Respond to “weird threats” by the United States

On Tuesday, Caracas asked the United Nations to intervene in the dispute by demanding “the immediate cessation of American military deployment in the Caribbean”.

Venezuela announced on Monday the deployment of 15,000 soldiers on the Colombia border to combat drug trafficking.

“Venezuela is a clean territory, without drug trafficking,” said Maduro in his weekly television program. “… without coca leaves, free! Without cocaine production.”

The Minister of the Interior, Diosdado Cabello, announced that the government was deploying the troops to strengthen security in the states of Zulia and Tachira, which borders Colombia.

“Here we fight drug trafficking, here we fight drug cartels on all fronts,” he added, announcing the crisis of 53 tonnes of drugs so far this year.

In a separate announcement on Tuesday, the Minister of Defense, Padrino, said that an current operation in the northeast corner of Venezuela had resulted in the dismantling of shipyards where criminals had “to manufacture semicmers and boats to transport drugs at sea” to markets in Europe and North America.

Semi -submersible ships – called “Narco Subs” – cannot go fully underwater but are popular among international drug traffickers because they can sometimes escape detection by the police. Ships are often Spotted in Colombian waters While heading to the United States, Central America and Europe.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.