Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro urged the army on Saturday to prepare for the possibility of US military action. The president rallied troops during a televised appearance that was meant to showcase his hold on the country's army.
The move came just days after opposition leader and self-declared interim president Juan Guaido tried to incite a military insurrection that was unsuccessful and culminated with a group of 25 rebel soldiers seeking refuge in the Brazilian Embassy in Caracas.
Two days of clashes followed between opposition supporters and government forces, which left four people dead and hundreds injured.
Venezuela's chief prosecutor Tarek William Saab announced on Friday the issuing of 18 arrest warrants for "civilian and military conspirators" involved in the failed uprising.
The Supreme Court, stacked with Maduro loyalists, also ordered the rearrest of opposition figure Leopoldo Lopez, who was freed from house arrest by the rebel soldiers and who is now taking refuge in the Spanish Embassy.