Overview

• At a rare press conference, Nicolás Maduro called the deployments the continent's gravest threat in a century and said Venezuela will not bow to pressure.
• Maduro claimed eight U.S. warships with 1,200 missiles and a submarine are targeting Venezuela and said he would declare a “republic in arms” if attacked.
• U.S. officials say the mission targets drug cartels, with assets including the cruiser USS Lake Erie, destroyers Gravely, Jason Dunham and Sampson, the submarine USS Newport News, and amphibious ships Iwo Jima, San Antonio and Fort Lauderdale.
• A defense official told AP the amphibious force of thousands of sailors and Marines is entering the region this week, while Venezuela has reinforced coastal patrols, deployed troops near Colombia and urged enlistment in the militia.
• Regional reactions diverged, with Mexico and Colombia warning of escalation and Guyana welcoming the U.S. presence, as Washington recently doubled its reward for information leading to Maduro's arrest to $50 million.