Jesus Silva

Press TV, Caracas

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro delivered instructions to the country's military force to deploy troops along the border with neighboring Colombia as a measure to prevent any potential attack by the Colombian government.

Maduro said that the National Armed Force will stay alert for any provocation launched by Colombian President Ivan Duque, who has repeatedly called for regime change in Venezuela. Experts say Maduro's move is a response to his Colombian counterpart, who recently blamed Caracas for supposedly backing the Colombian guerrilla movement known as FARC.

Venezuelan officials say they regret the return of what they call a civil war in Colombia. Nonetheless, they point out that President Duque is a supporter of US foreign policy who wants to drag Venezuela into the Colombian internal spat. They affirm that this is part of Duque's strategy to destabilize Maduro's government but such manipulation will not be successful.

On the other side, the opposition accuses Caracas of backing the Colombian guerrillas.

Experts believe this dispute may also affect Maduro's presidency within the framework of International law.

Experts say that Caracas reinforces security across the Colombian border because Bogota has militarily threatened the Maduro administration and therefore the special protection on the zone has become imperative.