Maduro stated, according to what was broadcast by VTV (Venezuela Television), upon signing the legislation on Tuesday: “From this moment, with the signing of this law, all comprehensive defense leaderships, which encompass all public institutions of the Venezuelan state, the military, and all popular forces, must be activated from dawn.” Earlier this month, Maduro had agreed to the ruling party’s proposal to begin armed resistance if the United States launched an attack, amidst the presence of U.S. naval forces in the Caribbean under the pretext. In September, U.S. media reported that President Donald Trump was considering multiple options for conducting military strikes against drug gangs in Venezuela, with a broader aim to weaken Maduro. In August, White House spokesperson Caroline Levitt stated that Trump was prepared to use “all elements of American power” to combat drug trafficking, including the potential for a military operation in Venezuela. For his part, Maduro asserted that the escalation of the U.S. in the region was due to Venezuelan energy reserves, not drug trafficking.
