Caracas: President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro stressed that his country’s armed forces are more ready than ever to protect Venezuela. Addressing an end-of-year speech at the Military Academy of the Bolivarian Navy in La Guaira state near Caracas, Maduro announced that the National Bolivarian Armed Forces of Venezuela (FNAB) will remain at comprehensive defense level and are more ready than ever to preserve the peace and sovereignty of the country.

According to Islamic Republic News Agency, Maduro highlighted the loyalty of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces to the Bolivarian project, to the Commander-in-Chief, and to the great destiny of the nation, which he said has been victorious. He also criticized the deployment of US forces in the Caribbean, describing it as a crime.

Maduro emphasized that Venezuela’s Bolivarian Armed Forces are not soldiers who work to bomb cities, kill people, or steal wealth. His statements come amid heightened tensions between Washington and Caracas due to the largest US naval and air force deployment in the region in decades, under the pretext of fighting drug trafficking.

Since September, the US has targeted dozens of vessels it claims are suspected of carrying drugs. Tensions peaked in mid-month when US President Donald Trump imposed a naval blockade on Venezuela and seized three tankers carrying Venezuelan crude oil.

Caracas has condemned these US actions, stating that both the so-called anti-drug war and the naval blockade are aimed at regime change and seizing the country’s natural resources.