Venezuela.. Maduro issues a decision to activate national defense plans

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro issued a decision to activate national defense plans for all Venezuelan territory, in the face of what he described as “blatant American aggression” targeting national sovereignty and the country’s strategic wealth.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Ivan Gil announced, in a statement to the Venezuelan government, that “Maduro also issued a decision to declare a state of emergency throughout the country,” warning that “any attempt to change the ruling regime will fail as previous attempts failed,” according to what the Russian Sputnik agency reported on Saturday.

According to the statements, the recent attacks that targeted civilian and military sites, including residential neighborhoods and infrastructure in downtown Caracas, were behind the United States, which Caracas accuses of waging a dangerous military aggression that violates the United Nations Charter and threatens international peace and stability, according to Sputnik.

Gil stressed that “these attacks are a flagrant violation of international conventions, and that Venezuela reserves the right to exercise legitimate defense of its people, territory, and sovereignty.”

Venezuela considered this aggression “part of an American plan to seize natural resources,” and called on all national forces to activate general mobilization plans.

This comes after several explosions were heard in the capital, Caracas, accompanied by a power outage in areas close to a major military base south of the city.