Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez issued a warning to the U.S., claiming that any "military aggression" would be met with fierce resistance.
"Those thinking about a military aggression to Venezuela, know it will go badly for you. It will be worse if you conduct it. We'll be your nightmare. Calm down, U.S. hawks," Rodriguez said on Friday during an event aimed at signing up people to the country's pro-government militia.
Rodriguez went on to say that the entire country is "deployed." "We are here with workers from the energetic conglomerate. The fascists continue doing the U.S.'s work to take over Venezuela's riches," she added.
Officials have been making comments of the kind since the U.S. deployed warships and troops off its coast, a decision the Trump administration claims it's aimed at fighting drug-trafficking.
Authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro said on Thursday "there is no way" the country "will be breached" despite the deployment." This situation we are facing, one of harassment, siege, illegal threats that violate the UN Charter, only makes us stronger," Maduro said. He went on to claim that the armed forces are seizing the circumstance to "strengthen the nation's defense plans."
Rhetoric in the U.S. is contrasting, with some officials claiming the fall of Maduro is close and others that the whole thing is mostly saber rattling. An official told Axios that the operation could be "Noriega part 2," a reference to the 1989 military operation that ended with the capture of then-Panamanian President Manuel Noriega. He also faced U.S. drug-trafficking charges.
"The president has asked for a menu of options. And ultimately, this is the president's decision about what to do next, but Maduro should be sh---ting bricks," the official added.
Others who talked to the outlet had differing views. One supported ousting Maduro, saying that leaving him "in power in Venezuela is like making Jeffrey Epstein the head of a daycare."
Another official had a contrasting view, saying "this is 105% about narco-terrorism," even though later said that if "Maduro winds up no longer in power, no one will be crying."
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, on her end, kept the mission's goals ambiguous, saying Maduro is the "fugitive head of a drug cartel" and is not considered the country's legitimate president.
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