'We worry more about food' say Venezuelans living under threat of US military action

While the US escalates a military threat in nearby waters, Venezuelans say the real enemy of the people is a sharp rise in food prices.

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It's Wednesday morning at Quinta Crespo, a popular market in downtown Caracas. Here, a possible escalation of the conflict is not the main concern of Venezuelans, who glance at the news while checking their wallets to find enough cash to pay.

"There's not going to be an intervention, nothing like that. What's really troubling us is the rise of the dollar," Alejandro Orellano tells BBC Mundo as he savours a coffee, waiting for customers who never seem to arrive.

In the past weeks, Trump's government has deployed thousands of troops and military assets to within striking distance of Venezuela, including the world's largest warship. On Saturday, at least four international airlines cancelled flights into or out of the country after a Friday notice from US aviation authorities warned of "heightened military activity in or around Venezuela".

This comes after a series of US airstrikes against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific killed more than 80 people.