Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López announced on Tuesday that more than 20,000 soldiers have been deployed in the country’s western regions, affirming that the troops are fully prepared to carry out their duties.

“The people are living in peace, even as they endure the shocks of the economic genocide perpetrated by the United States against Venezuela through its blockade,” Padrino López said, denouncing Washington’s long-standing sanctions as part of a broader campaign of aggression.

Just days earlier, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro confirmed the completion of the Independence 200 exercises, which involved four comprehensive defense zones across the states of Mérida, Trujillo, Lara, and Yaracuy. He praised the “massive and unified marches” held in towns and villages throughout those regions, describing them as a show of national strength and resilience.

Major escalation against Venezuela

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is leading a major escalation in Washington's campaign to remove the Venezuelan leader from power, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.

The effort, launched under the guise of a counternarcotics operation, has evolved into a wider strategy that blends sanctions, diplomatic pressure, and an expanding military presence across the Caribbean, the report detailed.

Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants and a former Florida senator, now serves as both President Donald Trump's national security advisor and top diplomat, granting him sweeping authority over US policy toward Latin America. Officials told the Journal that the goal is twofold: to halt alleged narcotics flows into the United States and to send a clear signal to Maduro that "he can no longer remain in power."

Rubio’s Caribbean offensive

President Trump has reportedly entrusted Rubio, along with Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, and Attorney General Pamela Bondi, to oversee the initiative. Bondi recently doubled the US bounty on Maduro to $50 million, declaring, "Nicolás Maduro is a narco-terrorist and fugitive from American justice who has deputized terrorist organizations to stay in power. His reign will not last forever."