Venezuela Bolsters Military Presence at Colombian Border

Venezuela’s Defense Minister has announced a significant increase in military assets and missiles heading to the Colombian border and the Essequibo River. Venezuelan ships will also be dispatched to the Trinidad & Tobago coast. The move is part of an operation dubbed Lightning Catatumbo and Operation Guayana Essequibo. The Defense Minister likened President Irfaan Ali to Ukraine’s President Zelensky and accused Trinidad & Tobago of betraying the Bolivarian People of Venezuela. The Minister further claimed that Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago are operating under the USA’s influence. The deployment includes 250 additional men, thereby totaling 15,000 troops from Castillete to the state of Táchira, which spans 851 kilometers along the border with Colombia. Assets deployed include drones, helicopters, naval patrols, and larger-scale ships patrolling Venezuelan territorial waters.