Caracas [Venezuela], October 23 (ANI): Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro claimed on Wednesday that the country has deployed 5,000 Russian-made Igla-S anti-aircraft missiles in “key air defense positions,” as tensions rise over the United States’ military presence in the Caribbean, CNN reported.
US President Donald Trump has indicated he is considering military action inside Venezuela as part of a counter-drug trafficking campaign and a broader effort to weaken Maduro, a longstanding adversary of Washington.
“Any military force in the world knows the power of the Igla-S and Venezuela has no less than 5,000 of them,” Maduro said during an event with military personnel broadcast by Venezolana de Television (VTV), CNN reported.
The Russian Igla-S missiles are short-range, low-altitude systems similar to American Stingers. They can shoot down small aerial targets, including cruise missiles, drones, helicopters, and low-flying aircraft. Maduro said the missiles, light enough to be carried by a single soldier, had been deployed “even in the last mountain, the last town, and the last city of the territory.”
The US has deployed 4,500 Marines and sailors to the Caribbean to strengthen counter-narcotics operations and demonstrate military presence. Several lethal strikes have been carried out on boats alleged to be trafficking narcotics, though US lawmakers from both parties have questioned the legality of these operations.
Last week, Trump said he had authorised the CIA to conduct covert action in Venezuela and was considering expanding the military campaign to land operations. “We are certainly looking at land now, because we’ve got the sea very well under control,” he told reporters.
The Trump administration has been preparing for potential military action in Venezuela by linking Maduro to drug trafficking and cartels designated as terror groups, aiming to pressure him into stepping down voluntarily. There is currently no indication that the US plans to target Maduro directly.
In response, Maduro has repositioned troops, mobilised “millions” of militia members, and condemned US activity in the region. “The people of Venezuela are clear, united, and aware,” he said in a televised speech last week. “They have the means to once again defeat this open conspiracy against the peace and stability of Venezuela.”
Maduro has claimed that his volunteer militias now include more than 8 million reservists, though experts have questioned the number and the quality of their training. According to Rosoboronexport, the Russian state company that exports Igla-S systems, the missiles have a range of up to 6,000 meters and can reach targets at a maximum altitude of 3,500 meters.
CNN noted that the exact number of Igla-S missiles cited by Maduro could not be independently verified, but confirmed that these systems form part of Venezuela’s air defense arsenal. Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino has been photographed multiple times with the launchers in Caracas. (ANI)
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