Overview

• Vice President Delcy Rodríguez said the decree would activate immediately if U.S. forces carry out any military action against Venezuela.
• The measure empowers Nicolás Maduro to mobilize the armed forces nationwide, place strategic infrastructure and the oil industry under military control, activate security plans, and close borders.
• Under Venezuelan law the decree runs for 90 days, extendable once, and must be submitted within eight days to the National Assembly and the Supreme Court, while NGOs urge publication and warn of possible rights restrictions.
• U.S. forces have deployed warships, aircraft and a nuclear-powered submarine in counternarcotics operations and reported sinking multiple boats with fatalities, claims Venezuela rejects as a pretext for intervention.
• NBC News reported U.S. planners are weighing potential strikes on narcotrafficking targets inside Venezuela, and President Donald Trump said the U.S. will now look ‘very seriously’ at cartels operating on land after boat interdictions.