Venezuela's army warned neighbour Colombia today it was ready to repel any attacks a day after President Hugo Chavez cut ties over Bogota's charges that Venezuela was harbouring leftist Colombian guerrillas.
Mr Chavez's severing of diplomatic relations has ratcheted up tensions between Opec oil producer Venezuela and US ally Colombia in a volatile Andean region plagued by marauding guerrilla armies and drug-trafficking gangs.
While most observers believe a military clash is unlikely, Colombia and Venezuela are among the most militarized nations in South America and have sparred and squabbled in the past over border security and guerrillas.
Venezuelan defence minister General Carlos Mata appeared on television in Caracas, dressed in green military fatigues and flanked by his top commanders, to declare unstinting loyalty to Mr Chavez and sternly warn the government of Colombian president Alvaro Uribe.
Mr Uribe, who will be replaced by President-elect Juan Manuel Santos on August 7th, lately has ramped up accusations that left-wing guerrillas are given free rein in Venezuelan territory by Mr Chavez's government.
Mr Mata, echoing Chavez's words, rejected what he called Colombia's "aggression."
Venezuela has dismissed as lies the charges by Colombia, which presented photos, videos and maps to the Organization of American States to back its allegations about the rebels' presence.
"The Venezuelan people and the Colombian government should know that the (Venezuelan) Bolivarian National Armed Forces, as guarantor of the nation's security, will respond firmly if any foreign forces seek to violate our sacred soil," Mata said.
He said the Venezuelan military, which has some 20,000 troops along the 2,200km porous border, was "operationally prepared."
Declaring the diplomatic break with Bogota yesterday, Mr Chavez ordered "maximum alert" on the frontier but there have been no reports of significant troops movements so far.
Most analysts believe the tense stand-off will persist until Mr Santos, a conservative ally of Mr Uribe, takes office.
Mr Chavez has publicly expressed the hope Colombian-Venezuelan relations, which were turbulent with Mr Uribe in power, can be returned to normal under Mr Santos, who has been careful to avoid public comment on the dispute so far.
Mr Santos, who as defence minister played a major role in Mr Uribe's energetic military sweeps against guerrilla groups like the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or Farc, has said he favours dialogue with Caracas.
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