Venezuela's authoritarian President Nicolás Maduro said that the country is prepared "to knock the teeth out of the North American empire if necessary," responding to escalating U.S. military pressure in the Caribbean and the seizure of a tanker near Venezuelan waters.
Speaking at a rally in Caracas, Maduro urged supporters to remain ready for confrontation. "The same productive hands we have are the hands that grab rifles, tanks, missiles to defend this sacred land from any invading empire," he said, calling on Venezuelans to stand "as warriors."
