maduro Vows Armed Response to Attack, Accuses US of Regime Change Plot
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has declared that Venezuela will transition to an “armed staging stage” if attacked, mobilizing citizen militias in response to what he calls threats from the United States. The announcement came amidst a US military deployment in the Caribbean sea, ostensibly to combat drug trafficking.
Speaking during an activation of the Bolivarian National Militia (MNB), broadcast on state television (VTV), Maduro stated Venezuela is currently in a “unarmed struggle phase,” focusing on political, communicative, and institutional efforts.However, he warned that any attack would trigger a full-scale, organized defense involving the entire population, “whether local, regional or national.” He emphasized this would be a defense of “peace, territorial integrity, sovereignty and our people.”
Maduro described the current period as a “phase of enlistment and preparation,” involving the deployment of defensive capabilities and training for the Venezuelan population. He asserted the Venezuelan people are “warrior[s],” despite being “pacifist,” and vowed that Venezuela would not be subjected to enslavement “today or ever.” The activation of the MNB follows a recent enlistment drive held in August.
The President directly called on the United States to “abandon its plan for a violent regime change in Venezuela and in all of Latin America and the Caribbean,” demanding respect for sovereignty, peace, and independence.
These statements follow concerns raised by Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil regarding the deployment of ten F-35 combat aircraft to an air base in Puerto Rico as part of the US anti-drug operation. Gil, in a VTV interview, accused US Secretary of State Marco Rubio of using drug trafficking as a pretext for military action, dismissing allegations of Venezuelan government involvement in drug trafficking as “the biggest lie.”
According to reports,the United States has deployed eight military ships equipped with missiles,along with a nuclear-powered submarine,to Caribbean waters near Venezuela’s coast,citing the need to combat drug trafficking that “pollutes” US streets.