The Venezuelan army announced on Tuesday a "massive" deployment throughout the country to respond to the "imperialism" of the United States, whose anti-drug military operations in the Caribbean and the Pacific will receive reinforcement from an aircraft carrier in the coming days.

Since August, Washington has maintained a military presence in the Caribbean, including half a dozen warships, officially to combat drug trafficking destined for the United States. Twenty airstrikes against vessels believed to be carrying drugs have resulted in the deaths of at least 76 people.

Venezuela views this US operation as a pretext aimed at overthrowing Nicolás Maduro and seizing the country's oil reserves. Mr. Maduro, who has repeatedly called for dialogue, maintains he is ready to defend himself, constantly demonstrating military activity within the country.

However, these frequent and highly publicized announcements by the government do not necessarily translate into visible operations on the ground.

The statement published Tuesday by Vladimir Padrino Lopez, the Minister of Defense and Chief of Staff, mentions a "massive deployment of land, air, naval, river and missile resources, weapons systems, military units, Bolivarian militia", the latter comprising civilians and former military personnel forming troops reinforcing the army or the police.

The public television channel VTV broadcast speeches by senior officers in several states across the country, accompanied by images showing drills.

On Monday, Nicolas Maduro asserted that Venezuela has the "strength and power" to respond to the United States: "If imperialism were to strike and cause damage, the order for operations, mobilization and combat of the entire Venezuelan people would be decreed."

US President Donald Trump, who authorized clandestine CIA operations in Venezuela, has given contradictory indications about his strategy, at times mentioning strikes on Venezuelan soil but also ruling out the idea of war.

The aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford, the largest and most advanced in the U.S. military, has left the Rota base in Spain to join the U.S. deployment area a few hundred kilometers off the Venezuelan coast.