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Venezuela launches new military drills amid escalating tensions with the US
Caracas – Venezuelan forces carried out new military exercises on the Caribbean coast on Saturday, deploying anti-aircraft systems and amphibious units at a time of heightened tensions with the United States. The maneuvers took place in the states of Falcón (northwest) and Sucre (northeast), alongside civil protection exercises aimed at preparing the population for natural disasters or potential armed conflict.
Relations between Washington and Caracas, already strained, have worsened since the United States deployed warships and a submarine in the Caribbean nearly a month ago, officially to combat drug trafficking bound for US territory. American authorities claim to have intercepted and destroyed at least three vessels suspected of carrying drugs from Venezuela, resulting in the deaths of 14 people.
Venezuelan state television VTV broadcast footage of troops firing Russian-made Pechora anti-aircraft missiles mounted on trucks, as well as artillery fire directed at sea targets. Soldiers also carried out amphibious landings from a frigate and trained with helicopters and paratroopers along the coast near Trinidad and Tobago, which has publicly supported the US deployment.
The Venezuelan government has denounced the American presence in the Caribbean as a “military threat,” framing the drills as a show of strength and preparedness against potential aggression.