he Venezuelan government has held military exercises teaching thousands of civilians how to use rifles and engage in hand-to-hand combat, after US President Donald Trump warned that a "military option" was on the table for the crisis-hit country.
The Venezuelan government said 200,000 troops and 700,000 civilians and reservists had taken part in a first day of military exercises.
The exercises were held nationwide, and called on civilians to join reserve units to defend against a possible attack after Mr Trump warned that a "military option" was on the table for the country.
Mr Trump made the threat two weeks ago and on Friday signed an order prohibiting dealings in new debt from the Venezuelan government or its oil company, a move to hobble financing that Trump says is fueling Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's "dictatorship."
"Against the belligerent threats of the United States, all Venezuelans between the ages of 18 and 60 are required to contribute to the integral defense of the nation," said an announcement broadcast on state television.
Mr Maduro used Mr Trump's threat to try to energize his political base, broadcasting images of rifle-carrying civilians negotiating obstacle courses and learning hand-to-hand combat.
The government created the hashtag #EsHoraDeDefenderLaPatria, which translates as "It's Time To Defend The Homeland," to promote the exercises.
TV images showed Venezuelans young and old entering military reserve registration centers.
Scenes were aired of camouflaged sharp-shooters firing their weapons while military commanders gave fiery speeches at "anti-imperialist" rallies.
Opposition figure and former presidential candidate Henrique Capriles sent a tweet dismissing the weekend training program as an expensive farce. He said Maduro should focus instead on bringing down Venezuela's high crime rate.
Diplomatic tensions increased last month when a legislative superbody called the constituent assembly was elected at Maduro's behest. It has the power to legislate, bypassing the opposition-controlled congress.
Maduro says the new assembly is Venezuela's only hope of restoring peace after months of deadly anti-government protests.
Trump's threat of military action played into Maduro's hands by supporting his oft-repeated assertion that the US "empire" has been waging economic war on Venezuela and wants to invade the country to steal its vast oil reserves.
The idea had been laughed off as absurd by opposition and US officials before Trump said on 11 August that "a military option is certainly something we could pursue" as a way of ending Venezuela's crisis.
