(MENAFN) Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced Saturday the start of large-scale military exercises across central Venezuela, citing growing concerns over what he described as U.S. military threats in the region.

The drills, named the "Great Corridor of the Venezuelan Plain," are part of Operation Independence 200 and commenced early Saturday, spanning the key central states of Barinas, Portuguesa, Cojedes, and Guárico. The initiative forms a core element of a broader national mobilization intended to reinforce Venezuela’s defense readiness.

"All the integral defense zones across the country are now active and operational," Maduro declared in a social media message. "We have completed all the zones with 27 fundamental defense tasks."

Framing the exercises as a strategic fusion of military, police, and civilian forces, Maduro described the coordination as “a perfect and organized fusion” aimed at preserving both sovereignty and internal stability.

“We want to keep winning along the path of peace,” he said, directly referencing what he claimed is a U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean near Venezuelan territorial waters.

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