Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro announced on Saturday the launch of nationwide military exercises, codenamed “Great Corridor of the Venezuelan Plain,” under the broader “Independence 200” operation. The drills, spanning the central states of Barinas, Portuguesa, Cojedes, and Guárico, aim to bolster national defense amid what Caracas describes as growing US military threats in the Caribbean.

“All integral defense zones across the country are now active and operational,” Maduro said on social media, adding that the nation had completed “27 fundamental defense tasks.” The exercises, he emphasized, reflect full coordination among civilian, police, and military forces — “a perfect and organized fusion to safeguard sovereignty and peace.”

Maduro accused Washington of escalating military presence near Venezuelan waters, asserting that the drills would ensure “optimal readiness” through civic participation and territorial coordination. “We will continue to win along the path of peace,” he said.

The announcement came shortly after US President Donald Trump claimed responsibility for destroying a “drug-smuggling submarine” in the Caribbean. According to Trump, the vessel was allegedly carrying fentanyl and other narcotics toward the United States. The strike killed two of the four people on board, with the surviving suspects — citizens of Ecuador and Colombia — now facing prosecution in their home countries.

Trump described the operation as part of a larger campaign to dismantle narcotrafficking routes from Latin America, alleging the intercepted submarine could have caused “at least 25,000 American deaths” had it reached US shores.

Since September, US forces have reportedly targeted six vessels in the Caribbean, several allegedly linked to Venezuela. While Washington has hailed the missions as successful anti-drug efforts, it has yet to provide concrete evidence identifying the 27 people killed in these operations as narcotraffickers.

The renewed military activity on both sides has raised regional tensions, with analysts warning that the standoff could further strain already fragile US-Venezuela relations.

— IndoUS Tribune