Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said this week the U.S. could still respond to the crisis in Venezuela with military force if things don't improve.
Speaking Breitbart News, Rubio said the Cuban and Russian governments' meddling in the South American country is concerning.
"That option [military intervention] is always there simply because the United States has a right to defend its national security and there are national security interests assigned to this," Rubio said. "As an example, you have the presence of Russian military advisers on the ground … and not 10 people, you're talking hundreds … you have [the] potential of a permanent Russian naval presence."
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is clinging to power despite several nations, including the U.S., recognizing opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country's interim president. Guaido tried to stage a military takeover last week, but that fell short of his goal.
Rubio pointed to other threats in the poverty-stricken country as well, including the terror group Hezbollah.
"You have the likes of Hezbollah and Iran, and government officials who are more than willing — for the right price, but it's not very high — to sell official but falsified travel documents, passports, so that terrorists can move around freely in the region," Rubio claimed. "You have the open support of drug cartels who aren't just tolerated, but cooperate and work alongside the regime … there's a migratory crisis triggered by this regime that is destabilizing our strongest anti-drug partner in the region in Colombia."
Rubio said there are 5,000 surface-to-air missile systems provided by Russia in Venezuela, which brings back memories of the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said last week that Maduro was about to flee to Cuba during the aforementioned military takeover attempt but was persuaded not to by Russia.
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