Venezuela ready for U.S. "any attack," says defence chief

Caracas, Sept. 1 -- Venezuela is prepared for "any attack" from the United States, Venezuelan Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said on Sunday.

"We will fight if you dare to set foot in Venezuela," Padrino Lopez warned the U.S. government in a statement released by state-run media.

Venezuela is under a siege that aims to provoke internal chaos and undermine the nation's political leadership, said the defence chief.

"The announcement of these naval deployments in Caribbean waters is nothing more than a show of force, a way of marking territory so that other powers will not take control of the Caribbean Sea," he said, referring to U.S. military manoeuvres in the region.

The Venezuelan Armed Forces are patrolling the country's mariti...