The Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, asked the Air Force this Thursday to be “alert” to defend Venezuela amid speculation about a possible military intervention by the United States in the Latin American country.
“I ask you to always be imperturbable in your serenity: alert, ready and willing to defend our rights as a nation,” he said during a speech within the framework of the commemoration of the 105th anniversary of the Bolivarian Military Aviation.
Maduro has highlighted that “there is no threat or aggression that frightens” Venezuela in the face of the actions of the “imperialist foreign forces”, which “continuously threaten to alter the peace” in the Caribbean region “under false and extravagant arguments.”
“If history demanded it, that we declared ourselves a republic in arms, again history would see us rise with the sacred banner of Miranda, of Bolívar: the yellow, the blue, the red, the eight stars, radiant and victorious,” he stressed.
Speculation about a possible intervention by the United States in Venezuela occurs after the deployment of troops in the region with a view to combating drug trafficking and after designating the Cartel of the Suns as a “terrorist organization”, at the head of which Washington places Maduro.
In the last few hours, hundreds of international flights have been canceled after the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an alert to aircraft flying over the Latin American country to exercise extreme caution.
The Venezuelan authorities on Wednesday revoked the concessions of six airlines, including the Spanish Iberia, “for joining the actions of state terrorism promoted by the United States Government.” The Spanish airline announced last Saturday the suspension of its operations following the FAA notice.