Venezuelan President alleges eight US army vessels targeting his nation

(MENAFN) Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro claimed on Monday that eight US military ships, 1,200 missiles, and a submarine were targeting his country, reacting to Washington’s military deployment in the Caribbean.

"Eight ships with 1,200 missiles and a submarine are targeting Venezuela," Maduro told foreign journalists in Caracas. He described the deployment as an "extravagant, unjustifiable, immoral, bloody, and absolutely criminal" threat, adding that Venezuela faces "the greatest threat the continent has seen in the last 100 years."

Tensions between the Trump administration and Maduro have escalated following the US military’s presence in the southern Caribbean. Washington says the deployment aims to combat criminal cartels and drug trafficking.

The troop movement coincided with a $50 million reward for Maduro’s arrest and the designation of his government as a terrorist organization.

"They’re trying to demonize me," Maduro said. "We’re not going to accept anyone applying their model to us. We have declared Venezuela’s maximum preparedness: in response to maximum pressure, maximum preparedness."

Maduro also blamed Republican factions in Florida, claiming they influence US policy. Addressing Trump directly, he warned that Secretary of State Marco Rubio "wants to fill his hands with blood, Caribbean and Latin blood."

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