Caracas is experiencing days of extreme tension. The Venezuelan Minister of Defense, Vladimir Padrino López, issued a direct warning to Washington on Thursday: if the United States decides to launch a military aggression against his country, Caracas will respond with a “national mobilization.”
"I say do not make a miscalculation when deciding to militarily aggress the people of Venezuela. Do not make that mistake. Think carefully, investigate thoroughly and read the national spirit," asserted the high command in statements broadcast by the state channel VTV, in which they accused the U.S. of maintaining a provocative deployment of F-35 planes and warships in the Caribbean.
According to Padrino, the presence of American aircraft stationed in Puerto Rico and flying near the Venezuelan coast is "an insult, a provocation" that "does not intimidate the people of Venezuela."
In his weekly report, broadcast on television, he emphasized that the nation is ready to transform "all national potential into national power" in the event of an aggression. "This could even lead to national mobilization, depending on the nature of the aggression," he stated, according to words cited by the agency EFE.
The context: Trump activates an "armed conflict"
Padrino's warnings came just hours before President Donald Trump notified Congress that the United States is in a “non-international armed conflict” against drug cartels, which he designated as terrorist organizations.
The decision, reported by Fox News and AP, grants Trump war powers to deploy the military in operations that have thus far been the responsibility of law enforcement agencies. Military strikes have already taken place in the Caribbean against vessels linked to Venezuelan organized crime, including one on September 2, where 11 people died when a boat associated with Tren de Aragua was destroyed.
The new legal framework enables the use of destroyers, submarines, and drones from Puerto Rico and is part of the White House strategy to combat drug trafficking that, according to the memorandum, "kills tens of thousands of Americans each year."
Maduro and Cabello: "the worst threat in 100 years"
In line with Padrino, President Nicolás Maduro recently asserted that Venezuela faces “the greatest threat in a hundred years”, after denouncing that eight U.S. military ships and a nuclear submarine are targeting his country.
"That will not work with Venezuela. We will know how to defend our sovereignty, our dignity, and the peace of our people," Maduro warned at a press conference. He also called on the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) to condemn Washington's military deployment, although he admitted that the channels of dialogue with the U.S. remain "in poor shape."
For his part, Diosdado Cabello, Minister of the Interior and a key figure in Chavismo, publicly acknowledged that Caracas is “preparing for the worst” in light of the U.S. naval blockade. The leader emphasized the activation of thousands of civilian militia members and a military reinforcement in the Caribbean under operation “Relámpago del Catatumbo.”
The escalation occurs after the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designates the so-called Cartel de los Soles, led by Maduro, as a foreign terrorist organization. Washington accuses chavismo of using state institutions as a cover to traffic tons of cocaine into the U.S.
The Tren de Aragua has also been designated as a terrorist organization, and its leaders have been included on the list of "specially designated global terrorists." The Trump administration is offering up to 5 million dollars in reward for information about its leader, Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, also known as "Niño Guerrero."
In response, the Maduro regime has initiated mass recruitment drives for the Bolivarian Militia in 24 states, aiming to enlist thousands of Venezuelans into a structure that, according to official figures, already exceeds four million members.
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