Venezuela has reinforced its military presence in states bordering Colombia as part of its response to the deployment of US warships in the Caribbean, which launched a new attack in the last hours of Thursday, October 16, this time apparently with survivors.

Washington has maintained an “anti-drug” operation with several warships in international waters of the Caribbean, near the Venezuelan coast, since August, and has launched several attacks against small boats of alleged “narcoterrorists” with a death toll of 27.

President Donald Trump accuses Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro of having ties to drug trafficking and announced on Wednesday that he has authorized CIA operations against Venezuela. Trump made the decision to authorize the CIA to operate in Venezuela | Photo: Getty Images

The regime considers the deployment a "threat," and in response, Maduro ordered military maneuvers with thousands of troops in the country.

In addition, local authorities in the states of Táchira and Amazonas announced deployments on Thursday with patrols and control procedures at border crossings with Colombia.

In Táchira, where the three main bridges connecting Venezuela and Colombia are located, troops were deployed around the Simón Bolívar International Bridge, which connects the Colombian cities of Cúcuta and Villa del Rosario with San Antonio in Venezuela, AFP found. In Amazonas, meanwhile, which also borders Brazil to the south, troops were dispersed throughout the state to protect “strategic companies” and “basic services.”

Venezuela also maintains deployments in coastal areas, such as Nueva Esparta, Sucre, and Delta Amacuro, states near Trinidad and Tobago.

Last week, Venezuela asked the United Nations Security Council to prevent the United States from committing an “international crime,” but received support only from a few members, led by its closest allies, China and Russia. According to Caracas, the Trump administration is seeking to “manufacture a conflict” to justify an invasion.

Venezuela's ambassador to the UN, Samuel Moncada, denounced the United States' attack on October 14th,"a new series of extrajudicial executions against civilians" just a few miles off the Venezuelan coast.

Meanwhile, a report by the American newspaper Miami Herald indicated that the vice president and her brother Jorge Rodríguez, who is the president of Parliament, tried to negotiate with the United States the departure of Maduro, in exchange for them remaining in power.

According to the newspaper, in this dialogue mediated by Qatar, the brothers allegedly argued that they are free of drug trafficking allegations and that they could ensure a transition while preserving political stability. Vice President Rodríguez stated that this is a “FAKE!!”. “Another media outlet that joins the garbage dump of psychological warfare against the Venezuelan people,” she denounced on Telegram, with a photo with Maduro and the caption: “Together and united with President Maduro.”