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By Amira El-Fekki
Middle East News Reporter
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Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said the country has spent weeks under threat from a "Goliath," as the United States ramps up military operations in the region and signals a more aggressive posture toward Caracas.
Why It Matters
The metaphor underscores Maduro's narrative of external aggression against his government. Tensions between Washington and Caracas have heightened amid the U.S.'s military buildup, increased boat strikes and actions against Venezuela's oil industry. U.S. President Donald Trump has also threatened strikes on land and publicly acknowledged that he authorized the CIA to plan for operations inside Venezuela. Trump also told reporters last week that it would be smart for Maduro to step down as the U.S. administration does not recognize his regime as legitimate.
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What To Know
"Venezuela has been under threat from Goliath for 27 weeks, and for 27 weeks our Military Force has been deployed with intelligence, wisdom, and strategic patience," Maduro said, addressing the Bolivarian National Armed Forces on Sunday.
Venezuela has deployed thousands of troops to its border and urged citizens to join its Bolivarian militia, with Maduro framing U.S. pressure in September as the greatest threat the continent has seen in 100 years, according to El País. The Venezuelan Army swore in 5,600 soldiers in December.
The White House has ordered U.S. forces to focus on a maritime "quarantine" of Venezuelan oil exports, interdicting tankers and tightening restrictions on sanctioned vessels in Caribbean waters.
United Nations experts denounced the U.S.'s partial maritime blockade on Venezuela as illegal, saying it violated international law and constituted armed aggression under the U.N. Charter. "As such, it is an armed attack under article 51 of the Charter—in principle giving the victim State a right of self-defense," the experts said in a news release.
The U.S. has seized at least two Venezuelan‑linked oil tankers carrying crude under sanction, which Maduro described as piracy.
Trump aides say military options remain even as the emphasis shifts toward economic pressure on Caracas.
In a Friday interview with New York's WABC radio, Trump said the U.S. had "knocked out" a "big facility where the ships come from" two nights earlier as part of its anti-drug campaign in Latin America. U.S. officials later said Trump was referring to a drug-related site in Venezuela, but gave no details. The move could be the operation's first known land strike in the country.
What People Are Saying
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said in his address on Sunday, originally in Spanish: "Our Armed Forces today are more prepared than ever to continue winning peace and sovereignty, with territorial integrity, for all our people."
United Nations experts said in a news release on December 24: "The illegal use of force, and threats to use further force at sea and on land, gravely endanger the human right to life and other rights in Venezuela and the region."
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on December 19: "What makes Venezuela stand out is that the regime there actually cooperates with the terrorists."
What Happens Next
As the U.S. administration vows to eradicate drug cartels, it is also pursuing a third oil tanker as it seeks to enforce maximum sanctions on Venezuela.
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