Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López stated that the maneuvers include the deployment of air defense forces, the use of armed drones for surveillance, along with unmanned submarines, and the application of electronic warfare strategies, according to Western media. The official television showed footage of amphibious vehicles and warships deployed off the coast of the island, where a military base is located. According to the armed forces, 12 warships, 22 aircraft, and 20 small boats belonging to the ‘Special Navy Forces’ are participating in the maneuvers, showcasing military power in the region.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. Air Force targeted individuals he described as ‘smugglers, belonging to drug trafficking gangs from Venezuela, in international waters.’ The announcement of the latest strike comes after a previous strike conducted by Washington at the beginning of this month, which resulted in 11 deaths, according to the United States.
Venezuela condemned the operation, describing it as ‘aggression,’ while U.S. lawmakers demanded more transparency regarding the intelligence and legality on which the strikes relied to use force in international waters during peacetime. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro accused the U.S. of launching a ‘comprehensive aggression’ against his country, denying that the recent events between the two nations are merely ‘tensions.’
Last Monday, Maduro ordered the deployment of 25,000 members of the armed forces on the border with Colombia, and on the Caribbean and Atlantic coasts of the republic, aiming to protect national sovereignty and the country’s security.
