What to know about the U.S. warships sent to South America and the reaction in Venezuela

The United States is boosting its maritime force in the waters off Venezuela to combat threats from Latin American drug cartels with the expected arrival of more vessels next week, an action that will undoubtedly fuel more speculation among Venezuelans, their government and its political opposition.

The U.S. government has not signaled any planned land incursion from the more than 4,000 personnel being deployed to the area, and analysts and current and former government officials see no possibility of an invasion in Venezuela.

Still, the deployment has dominated conversations in the streets and at dinner tables in Venezuela, where an alleged threat of invasion is spilling over from social media and state television.

The government has capitalized on the speculation by appealing to peopl