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Venezuela deploys forces as US-Caribbean tensions escalate
Lopez said Venezuela’s army is seeking to achieve the "optimal point" of coordination and readiness to respond to the US actions in the region.
Venezuela’s military efforts include "reconnaissance operations on land routes, aerial surveillance, exploration and radio operations, drone surveys, and amphibious maneuvers" across coastal regions, he added.
Earlier on Thursday, two US Air Force B-1 bombers flew near the coast of Venezuela.
Last week, at least two US B-52 bombers flew for several hours off the Venezuelan coast in what one senior American official called “a show of force.”
Washington has already deployed eight warships, a nuclear-powered submarine and fighter jets to the Caribbean under the pretext of combating drug smuggling into the United States.
For at least nine times, the US military has conducted strikes against suspected drug boats, killing 37 people.
On Wednesday, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said his country had 5,000 Russian-made Igla-S anti-aircraft missiles in “key air defense positions.”
Maduro also emphasized that the massive stockpile is intended to guarantee "the peace, stability and tranquility" of the Venezuelan people.