Biden’s move to Guaido left no doubt: Venezuela takes up its arms again and prepares the clash.
Begun on Thursday, March 4, 2021, the exercise called “The Bolivarian Shield 2020” ends this Sunday. High commanders of the Venezuelan army say the large-scale exercise aims to demonstrate “the defense capabilities of the Venezuelan military”, on the occasion of the commemoration of the late President Hugo Chavez. The exercise mobilized nearly 600,000 troops, which should give food for thought to the Austin-Blinken duo.
The Chief of Staff of the Strategic Operational Command of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB), Admiral Remigio Ceballos announced the holding of a major exercise with the participation of about six hundred thousand troops to strengthen the defensive capabilities of the Venezuelan Army.
“More than 545,000 soldiers in the form of civilian, military and police forces across the country are training to fight smuggling, organized crime and guarantee security in the country. In this exercise, the defense of power plants, oil sites, and strategic infrastructure has been trained. Since Venezuela’s rapprochement with Russia, China and Iran, the defense sector seems to have diversified.
The exercise, which takes place under the direct supervision of the Venezuelan president, began last Thursday and will end this Sunday.
President Nicolas Maduro recently reiterated his commitment to strengthen the capabilities of the Venezuelan armed forces to the point of being fully prepared to defend the country. One of the sectors most widely targeted is the oil sector where the Venezuelan Iranian cooperation continues to expand, to the great displeasure of the Americans and their sanctions regime. In 2020, Venezuelan refineries have been repeatedly targeted by cyber attacks and especially acts of sabotage, which raises the need to better barricade this sector. However, Iran, already present in the Venezuelan defense sector with Mohajer-6 drones, would obviously stand alongside Venezuela.
Recently the CGRI unveiled a radar jamming and detection system, called the martyr Abdollah Bagheri, which is designed to interfere in the operation of the enemy’s defense systems, fighters and ships to reduce their effectiveness by disrupting their radar or creating major problems in their detection operations. Ditto for this other anti-radar detection system, martyr Mohammad Reza Dehghan, which is an anti-radar detection system adapted to various types of drones and anti-radar missiles. In these times of hybrid warfare, this kind of device that is gradually appearing in the Venezuelan arsenal could strengthen the defense of the country.
Nicolas Maduro insisted, in a tweet on the occasion of the Armed Forces Day, on the need for the efforts of the country’s armed forces to achieve the highest level of morale, strategy, defense, training and supply of various weapons, as well as the greatest capacity for rapid reaction.
Indeed, on May 3, 2020, the Venezuelan army foiled a naval strike by U.S.-backed mercenaries attempting to enter Venezuela via Colombia and kidnap Maduro. Reports published shortly afterwards revealed that two of the mercenaries arrested were employees of a private U.S. security company. Both acknowledged that they were involved in the program to train opposition forces to kidnap Maduro. More complex U.S. operations are now expected against Venezuela.
The Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced the lies of the United States and the European Union while emphasizing, somewhat in the manner of the axis of the Resistance, that Caracas would continue to advance in defiance of U.S. sanctions.
The Venezuelan Foreign Minister, Jorge Ariza, reacted to the words of his American counterpart, Anthony Blinken, that Washington continued to put pressure on Caracas. In an interview with Sputnik, Ariza said that Venezuela posed no threat to other countries in the international community, and that Europe and the United States were uttering ideological lies about Venezuela. The head of Venezuelan diplomacy also denounced the United States for presenting Venezuela as an “extraordinary threat”, stressing that Washington was pursuing a policy of unilateral sanctions against Caracas.
Ariza also said :
“We no longer expected anything from Blinken and the United States. We no longer expect anything from anyone but ourselves. In defiance of what Washington does or does not do in front of Venezuela, we will continue to move forward. »
by Jeremy Abbott – American Correspondent – WPN