Overview
- After the USS Gerald R. Ford reached Caribbean waters near Puerto Rico, Venezuela’s armed forces activated Plan Independencia 200.
- Authorities announced mass deployments, created citizen–military “comandos de defensa integral,” and reinforced oil, transport and energy sites with missiles, aircraft and drones.
- President Nicolás Maduro warned of urban guerrilla resistance and said a nationwide general strike would be launched if the United States attacked.
- While officials touted a 200,000‑person deployment, analysts cited in reporting estimate the number of deployable uniformed troops could be far lower, near 60,000.
- Opposition leader Henrique Capriles urged a negotiated solution, and former Colombian president Álvaro Uribe cautioned that Colombia could face bombing risks tied to the crisis.