Venezuela deploys warships as U.S. destroyers loom off coast

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Venezuela connected Tuesday deployed warships and drones to patrol the country's coastline aft the United States dispatched 3 destroyers to the portion to unit strongman President Nicolas Maduro.

In a video connected societal media, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino announced a "significant" drone deployment arsenic good arsenic naval patrols on its Caribbean coast, including "larger vessels further northbound successful our territorial waters."

The determination comes amid escalating tensions with Washington, which sent 3 guided-missile destoyers and 4,000 Marines towards Venezuela past week to curb cause trafficking.

On Tuesday, a U.S. root told AFP that President Donald Trump was dispatching 2 much ships to the Caribbean to ace down connected cause cartels.

A guided rocket cruiser, the USS Erie, and a nuclear-powered accelerated onslaught submarine, the USS Newport News, are owed successful the portion adjacent week, the root acquainted with the determination told AFP connected information of anonymity.

Despite the melodramatic subject build-up, analysts person downplayed the anticipation of a U.S. penetration oregon U.S. strikes connected Venezuela.

On the streets of Venezuela, galore radical besides shrugged disconnected the menace arsenic posturing.

Maduro, who claimed a 3rd word successful July 2024 elections marred by fraud allegations and a crackdown connected the opposition, has been successful Mr. Trump's sights ever since the Republic's archetypal word successful office, from 2017 to 2021.

But his argumentation of maximum unit connected Venezuela, including an lipid embargo inactive successful effect, failed to dislodge Maduro from power.

"I deliberation what we're seeing represents an effort to make anxiousness successful authorities circles and unit Maduro to negociate something," International Crisis Group expert Phil Gunson told AFP.

Since returning to powerfulness successful January, Mr. Trump's attacks connected Venezuela person focused chiefly connected the activities of the South American country's almighty transnational gangs.

Washington accuses Maduro of heading a cocaine trafficking cartel, Cartel de los Soles, which the Trump medication has designated a violent organization.

The United States precocious doubled its bounty to $50 cardinal successful speech for Maduro's seizure to look cause charges. Last year, the U.S. seized a plane belonging to Maduro and brought it to the U.S., with the Justice Department claiming the pitchy was exported from Florida successful usurpation of U.S. sanctions.

"Outlandish threats"

Maduro has accused Mr. Trump of attempting to effect authorities alteration and launched a thrust to motion up thousands of militia members. Thousands of civilian servants, housewives and retirees lined up successful Venezuela's superior implicit the play to articulation the country's militia aft Maduro called connected citizens to respond to "outlandish threats" by the U.S.

On Tuesday, Caracas petitioned the United Nations to intervene successful the quality by demanding "the contiguous cessation of the U.S. subject deployment successful the Caribbean."

Venezuela connected Monday announced the deployment of 15,000 troops to the Colombia borderline to combat cause trafficking.

"Venezuela is simply a cleanable territory, escaped of cause trafficking," Maduro said successful his play tv program. "...free from coca leafage crops, free! Free from cocaine production."

Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello announced that the authorities was deploying the troops to bolster information successful Zulia and Tachira states, which borderline Colombia.

"Here, we bash combat cause trafficking, here, we bash combat cause cartels connected each fronts," helium added, announcing the seizure of 53 tons of drugs truthful acold this year.

In a abstracted announcement Tuesday, Defense Minister Padrino said an ongoing cognition successful Venezuela's northeastern country had resulted successful the dismantling of shipyards wherever criminals intended "to manufacture semisubmersibles and boats to transport drugs by sea" to markets successful Europe and North America.

Semisubmersible vessels -- known arsenic "narco subs" -- cannot spell afloat underwater but are fashionable among planetary cause traffickers arsenic they tin sometimes elude detection by instrumentality enforcement. The vessels are often spotted successful Colombian waters while heading to the United States, Central America and Europe.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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