• Maduro declares readiness to defend against US military presence in the Caribbean.
• US Navy growing presence includes destroyers, cruisers, and amphibious ships.
• Maduro labels US actions as a threat to Venezuelan sovereignty and a plot for regime change.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has warned that he would "constitutionally declare a republic in arms" if attacked by U.S. forces, amid an expanding military presence by the United States in the Caribbean aimed at combating drug trafficking. "In the face of this maximum military pressure, we have declared maximum preparedness for the defense of Venezuela," Maduro stated, criticizing the buildup as "an extravagant, unjustifiable, immoral and absolutely criminal and bloody threat" to the nation, according to South China Morning Post, CBS News, and HuffPost.

The deployment of U.S. naval forces, which includes two Aegis guided-missile destroyers and plans for more assault ships and Marines in the region, is portrayed by the Trump administration as part of an anti-drug operation. However, Maduro asserts these maneuvers are a guise for potential military intervention aimed at regime change in Venezuela, stating that his country confronts "the biggest threat that has been seen on our continent in the last 100 years," according to Newsweek, Los Angeles Times, and Al Jazeera.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil has criticized the narrative used by U.S. officials, pointing out that much of Colombia's cocaine is shipped through the Pacific, suggesting that only a small fraction transits through Venezuela. He has urged regional allies to demand an end to the U.S. military presence, asserting it threatens the stability of the entire region, as reported by The Hill, India Times, and Le Monde.

Maduro also reiterated his government's stance that he is the legitimate ruler of Venezuela, calling Secretary of State Marco Rubio a "warlord" and asserting that U.S. intentions of regime change have "exhausted." If the U.S. were to attack, he warns, it would "stain" President Trump's "hands with blood," highlighting the severe consequences of military action for U.S.-Venezuelan relations, as noted in TRT World, The Hill, and HuffPost.