Venezuela has deployed 15,000 military and police personnel to the border states of Táchira and Zulia, widening a security operation that includes boats, aircraft and drones. Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said the order, issued by President Nicolás Maduro, seeks to “guarantee peace” along the frontier with Colombia and reinforce anti-narcotics efforts. The buildup follows the arrival of three U.S. Navy warships, carrying roughly 4,000 sailors and marines, to the southern Caribbean as part of Washington’s latest counter-drug mission. Venezuelan officials describe the U.S. deployment as a threat and have urged Bogotá to coordinate to avoid incidents on the shared border. Regional tension has escalated since the Trump administration accused Maduro and senior aides of running a narcotics cartel and offered multimillion-dollar rewards for their arrest. Caracas has responded by expanding militia recruitment and warning that any attempted incursion "will not succeed."