Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro claimed Monday that eight US military vessels "with 1,200 missiles" were targeting his country, denouncing an "absolutely criminal, bloody threat."

The United States, which accuses Maduro of leading a drug cartel, has announced a deployment of warships to the southern Caribbean in an anti-drug trafficking operation.

Maduro railed at a meeting with international media in Caracas Monday against "the greatest threat that has been seen on our continent in the last 100 years" in the form of "eight military ships with 1,200 missiles and a submarine targeting Venezuela."

The president, whose last two re-elections in 2024 and 2018 were not recognized by the United States or much of the international community, said that "in response to maximum military pressure, we have declared maximum readiness to defend Venezuela."

Washington has doubled the bounty for Maduro's capture to $50 million but has made no public threat to invade Venezuela.

Caracas has said it would patrol its territorial waters and mobilize more than four million militia members in response to the US "threats."

Maduro deplored that communications channels with the United States have broken down, and vowed his country "will never give in to blackmail nor threats of any kind."

At the press conference, Maduro warned US President Donald Trump that his Secretary of State Marco Rubio wanted to "lead him into a bloodbath... with a massacre against the people of Venezuela."