CARACAS, Aug 29: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro declared there was “no way” United States troops could invade his country, despite a growing US naval presence in the Southern Caribbean, Al Jazeera reported.
Speaking to soldiers, Maduro insisted Venezuela was “stronger than yesterday” and fully prepared to defend its sovereignty, according to state media cited by Al Jazeera.
Backed by military, Venezuela’s Maduro hits back at rival
Al Jazeera said Maduro’s remarks came as his UN ambassador Samuel Moncada met Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to lodge a formal protest against the American military build-up. US officials told Reuters, quoted by Al Jazeera, that seven warships and a nuclear-powered submarine were either already deployed or expected in the coming days. More than 4,500 US service members, including 2,200 Marines, were reportedly on board. Washington has framed the operation as part of its campaign against Latin American drug cartels.
According to Al Jazeera, the Trump administration accused Maduro and top Venezuelan officials of cocaine trafficking, claims Caracas has rejected. In response, Venezuela has sent its own warships and drones to patrol its coastline and launched a mass recruitment of militia members to strengthen domestic defense. Al Jazeera noted that Caracas also deployed 15,000 soldiers to its border with Colombia, citing efforts to combat smuggling networks.
The channel reported that Maduro even thanked Colombia for increasing its troop presence along the frontier, although relations between the neighbors remain strained. Al Jazeera highlighted that while the US has not issued an explicit invasion threat, Trump’s language toward Venezuela has repeatedly focused on the so-called Cartel de los Soles, which Washington designates a terrorist group and accuses Maduro of leading.
According to Al Jazeera, Maduro rejected these allegations and accused Washington of pursuing regime change, pointing to the US Justice Department’s $50m bounty for his capture. Meanwhile, Admiral Daryl Claude, the US Navy’s top commander, confirmed to reporters that US warships were operating near South America, citing concerns about Venezuelan involvement in large-scale narcotics operations.
Al Jazeera concluded that the tense standoff reflects Washington’s bid to increase pressure on Maduro’s government while Caracas rallies its military and civilian forces against what it sees as an imminent external threat.
