Colombian Leader Declares 'I Will Resort to Weapons Once More' should United States Invades.

Donald Trump along with his Colombian counterpart have turned up the volume of their exchange, heightening tensions between the two countries following American military units targeted Venezuela in an operation to oust the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from office.

"He operates narcotics facilities and cocaine factories and his time is running out," Trump added.

Escalating Tensions coupled with Claims

Addressing journalists over the weekend, Trump hinted at comparable military action against Colombia, stating Colombia is “very sick too” and led by a problematic figure who enjoys creating the drug and trafficking it to the US."

Although Colombia remains the world’s largest source of the narcotic, authorities have found no indication that President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is in any way tied to the business.

A Deteriorating Partnership

The country for decades served as a close partner of Washington in the struggle against narcotics trade and received bipartisan support in the US capital, but relations have worsened dramatically following Trump assumed the presidency.

The nation's illicit drug economy is predominantly run by illegal armed groups like one major cartel, the ELN guerrilla group and renegade units of the demobilized Farc, the majority of whose members laid down arms subsequent to a 2016 peace deal.

Petro's Firm Response

In response to a query if armed intervention similar to Venezuela was a possibility for Colombia, Trump said: "It sounds good from my perspective."

President Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who left armed struggle in the last century, rejected Trump's claims. "I am neither illegitimate nor am I a narco," he declared.

"Trump speaks without knowledge. End the false accusations," he expressed in a post.

"If they [the US] bomb civilians, they will turn into thousands of guerrillas in the mountains. If they capture the president, whom a significant portion of the country holds in high esteem, they will unleash the ‘jaguar’ of the people," Petro warned.

From Guerrilla to President

The president dedicated a period in his early life belonging of the leftist M-19 guerrilla group but is not believed that he never engaged in fighting. Upon leaving the group, he took part in writing the constitutional rewrite in 1991 and eventually served as an influential politician. He held the office of mayor of Bogotá before winning the nation's highest office.

"I made a vow to abstain from using a weapon again ... but for the homeland I will take up weapons once more," he vowed.

Reinforced Protection along with Broad Rejection

The Colombian defence minister reported that the national leader's security detail had received additional support.

A segment of Colombia’s conservative opposition have allied themselves with the US president, yet figures from across the ideological divide have denounced the possibility of a US attack against their nation.

Political and Economic Sanctions

Washington withdrew his travel authorization following he urged US military personnel to ignore orders that violate law. Months later, authorities imposed asset freezes on Petro, his spouse and a number of key allies.

Concurrently while America bolstered its troop levels near Venezuela and striking vessels thought to carry drugs to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces also carried out operations on boats in the eastern Pacific region adjacent to Colombia.