Venezuelan Navy frigates take part in military joint action exercises at the "Mariscal Juan Cristomo Falcon" naval base in Falcon state, Venezuela, on July 24, 2019. ZURIMAR CAMPOS / AFP
Venezuela on Tuesday, August 26, deployed warships and drones to patrol the country's coastline after the United States dispatched three destroyers to the region to pressure strongman President Nicolas Maduro.
In a video on social media, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino announced a "significant" drone deployment as well as naval patrols along its Caribbean coast, including "larger vessels further north in our territorial waters."
The move comes amid escalating tensions with Washington, which sent three warships and 4,000 Marines toward Venezuela last week to curb drug trafficking. On Tuesday, a US source told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that President Donald Trump was dispatching two more ships to the Caribbean to crack down on drug cartels.
A guided missile cruiser, the USS Erie, and a nuclear-powered fast attack submarine, the USS Newport News, are due in the region next week, the source familiar with the move told AFP on condition of anonymity.
