Donald Trump Weighing Military Action Against Drug Cartels Inside Venezuela, Says Report

(MENAFN- Live Mint) U.S. President Donald Trump is weighing options for carrying out military strikes targeting drug cartels operating inside Venezuela, including possible strikes within the country, CNN reported on Friday, citing multiple sources.

Earlier in the week, a U.S. military strike targeted a Venezuelan boat in the southern Caribbean, killing 11 people. President Trump claimed the vessel was carrying illegal drugs.

According to CNN, the operation is part of a broader campaign aimed at combating drug trafficking in the region and possibly removing Venezuela's leftist leader, Nicolás Maduro, from power.

Earlier on Friday, Trump said that the United States is not talking about“regime change in Venezuela”. This follows as the US ordered an additional 10 stealth fighter jets to a growing military buildup in the Caribbean, AP reported.

“We're not talking about that, but we are talking about the fact that you had an election which was a very strange election, to put it mildly,” Trump said, referring to the contested 2024 election the Venezuelan government claims President Nicolas Maduro won.

Trump warned that Venezuelan jets could be shot down if they threaten U.S. forces. This followed a Pentagon report stating that two Venezuelan military aircraft approached a US Navy ship in international waters on Thursday in what was deemed a“highly provocative” act, AP reported.

The United States is now also deploying F-35 warplanes to Puerto Rico as part of its war on cartels.

Venezuelan President reacts, says, 'none of the differences...'

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro stated on Friday that disagreements with the United States should not lead to military conflict, calling instead for dialogue after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to shoot down Venezuelan aircraft posing a threat to American forces.

“None of the differences we have and have had can lead to a military conflict,” Maduro said in a message broadcast on all the country's radio and television networks.

“It has no justification,” the president added as he denied Trump's claims that Venezuela, and he himself, form the nexus of a vast drug trafficking network.

Washington recently increased the reward for Nicolás Maduro's capture to $50 million, accusing him of heading a narco-terrorist organisation.

"Those intelligence reports they give him (Trump) are not true. Venezuela today is a country free from coca leaf production, cocaine, and is a country that fights against drug trafficking," Maduro said.

"Venezuela has always been willing to talk, to engage in dialogue, but we demand respect," he added.

Military strike possible?

Speaking on Friday, Trump likened the overdose deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans to wartime casualties, using the comparison to justify the aggressive military presence in the Caribbean.

“Think if you're in a war and you lose 300,000 ... We're not going to allow it to happen,” he said.

The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity about the latest U.S. deployment, told AP that the 10 fighter jets are being sent to conduct operations against designated narco-terrorist organisations operating in the southern Caribbean. The planes should arrive in the area by late next week, they told Associated Press.

F-35s are highly advanced stealth fighters and would be effective in combat against Venezuela's air force, which includes F-16 aircraft. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AP that“two Venezuelan F-16s flew over the USS Jason Dunham on Thursday”.

The Dunham is one of at least seven U.S. warships deployed to the Caribbean, carrying more than 4,500 sailors and Marines.

U.S. Marines and sailors from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit have also been carrying out amphibious training and flight operations in southern Puerto Rico.

(With inputs from agencies)

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