Venezuela has sharply criticized US forces for illegally boarding a fishing vessel in its territorial waters, calling the act "hostile." Days earlier, a US strike killed 11 people aboard a Venezuelan boat that US officials alleged was involved in drug trafficking.

As tensions with the United States increase, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has urged citizens to join the Bolivarian Militia to "safeguard sovereignty." More than 300 barracks nationwide are training civilians in the use of firearms.