Venezuela’s Maduro accuses US of engaging in psychological warfare as Trump threatens to invade

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro on Thursday accused the US of carrying out constant psychological warfare against his country.

“We are threatened daily by the US empire — a daily psychological war. Words back and forth. They move a ship, they move a missile,” said Maduro, claiming that the US is seeking regime change in Venezuela.

Speaking at an event broadcast on state-run VTV, he stressed that the people and the military are united at the highest level to defend the country’s sovereignty and independence and vowed to act calmly and rationally.

Earlier, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez announced that the armed forces are maintaining a full deployment along the country’s coast to achieve the “optimal point” of coordination and readiness to respond to the US naval buildup in the Caribbean Sea.

The declaration came amid the US deployment in the Caribbean, which Caracas views as a direct threat aimed at promoting regime change.

Washington says its forces are targeting alleged drug trafficking originating from the South American country – a claim vigorously rejected by the Venezuelan government.

The US has deployed 4,500 Marines and sailors to the Caribbean to strengthen operations against cartels and demonstrate military power. It has carried out several lethal strikes on boats off the Caribbean coast that it alleges were trafficking narcotics.

Lawmakers from both parties in the US have questioned the legality of the strikes on the alleged “narco boats.”

Last week, US leader, Donald Trump said he had authorized the CIA to conduct covert action in Venezuela and said the US was considering expanding its military campaign to land, as part of an intensifying US pressure campaign that officials say is aimed at ousting Maduro.

“We are certainly looking at land now, because we’ve got the sea very well under control,” the president told reporters.