Maduro: If the gringos attack, we will respond'

"Nicolas Maduro assured this Wednesday that the Venezuelan army will not stand idly by in the event of a U.S. military attack on his country. If the gringos threaten us, we will work harder. If the gringos attack, we will respond, but nothing will stop our work, he said during the inauguration of a hospital in Caracas. The Venezuelan president is seeking to convey calm at a time of heightened tension."

"A U.S. military detachment composed of ships, planes, and submarines remains anchored in the Caribbean and has fired on vessels it said it suspected of transporting drugs off the Venezuelan coast. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has insisted that Maduro is behind these shipments destined for U.S. soil, and that he must therefore be overthrown and brought before his country's judicial authorities."

"Fearing an attack, the Chavista government has deployed troops to the border and is training the civilian population in military tactics. Venezuela and the United States have been negotiating intermittently for at least six years, trying to resolve Venezuelan domestic politics. Maduro, the successor to popular leader Hugo Chavez, won his first election in 2013 in a controversial manner, although there was no clear evidence of fraud."

President Nicolás Maduro vowed that the Venezuelan army will not remain idle in the event of a U.S. military attack, promising to respond while continuing state functions. A U.S. military detachment of ships, planes, and submarines is stationed in the Caribbean and has fired on vessels it suspected of drug trafficking near Venezuela. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio alleges Maduro's involvement in shipments to the United States and calls for his removal and prosecution. The Chavista government has deployed troops to the border and begun civilian military training. Negotiations between Venezuela and the United States have proceeded intermittently for years amid contested election claims and growing fear of confrontation.

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