Maduro warns the US: If Venezuela was attacked, we would declare an armed struggle'

"If Venezuela was attacked, we would declare an armed struggle and a Republic in arms, President Nicolas Maduro warned this Monday at a press conference with international media. Venezuela is facing the greatest threat our continent has seen in 100 years, the head of state said. There are eight warships with 1,200 missiles, and a nuclear submarine aimed at Venezuela. It's an extravagant, immoral, and bloody threat."

"If you're looking for a mobster, look elsewhere. What you can look for here is a revolutionary who has a people and an Armed Forces backing him, Maduro responded on Monday. I'm not a magnate, I don't have a business or wealth, I'm a worker, a fighter, the first Chavista president in history. I'm not a bully; I know politics, political strategy, and now military strategy. I've learned a lot in the Bolivarian National Armed Forces, which are"

Venezuela deployed troops to the border and called for enlistment of militia members and Venezuelans to confront a hypothetical foreign military incursion. The move responds to recent U.S. deployments of ships, military contingents and a nuclear submarine tied to counter-narcotics operations and alleged links between drug cartels and Venezuelan officials. The buildup coincides with the Unitas 2025 joint naval exercise off the U.S. coast beginning September 15. Venezuelan authorities described an eight-warship presence with 1,200 missiles and a nuclear submarine as an extravagant, immoral and bloody threat, declaring maximum preparedness and readiness for armed struggle if attacked. Diplomatic ties have shifted to direct U.S. accusations linking leadership to an alleged Cartel of the Suns and an increased U.S. $50 million reward for capture, while Venezuela framed its posture as revolutionary defense backed by people and the Armed Forces.

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