(MENAFN- Live Mint) US President Donald Trump denied approving any military strikes inside Venezuela, contradicting a media report suggesting otherwise.

According to a report by Bloomberg, when reporters asked him on Air Force One on Friday whether he had decided on the matter, Trump simply replied,“No.”

Since early September, the Trump administration has carried out at least 14 strikes on small boats in the Caribbean and Pacific, killing dozens, which it describes as targeted actions against drug smugglers.

Earlier, the Miami Herald reported that the Trump administration had decided to target Venezuelan military installations, with strikes potentially imminent.

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Responding to the report, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said that“unnamed sources don't know what they're talking about” and emphasised that any official announcement would come directly from Trump.

Last week, Trump said“the land is going to be next” after a series of attacks since mid-September on alleged drug-running boats in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific, Bloomberg reported.

The US has also deployed guided missile destroyers as part of its border security operations, in addition to the aircraft used in the strikes.

Last week, the administration announced that it was deploying a naval strike group, which includes an aircraft carrier, to Latin America. Administration officials have characterised the campaign as a counter-drug operation and say Maduro's regime is facilitating trafficking.

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Politicians and analysts say that Venezuela's two main opposition leaders are growing increasingly divided over potential US actions against the country, even as the government continues its crackdown on opposition figures. Reuters reported.

Maduro, who faces US indictments on drug trafficking and corruption charges that he denies, has accused Trump of attempting to orchestrate regime change.

Supporters of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro take part in a rally against US military activity in the Caribbean, in Caracas on October 30, 2025. A US guided-missile destroyer that docked for four days in Trinidad and Tobago, within firing range of mainland Venezuela -- which called its presence a 'provocation'-- departed as scheduled on Thursday, AFP witnessed. (Photo by Federico PARRA / AFP)

He has asserted that the Venezuelan people and armed forces would resist any effort to remove him from power.

Maduro was sworn in for a third term earlier this year, despite official vote counts indicating that the opposition candidate had won the 2024 election by a wide margin.

Machado's adviser, Magalli Meda, maintains that the opposition remains united under the eight-party Unitary Platform, which supported both María Corina Machado and her replacement in the 2024 presidential election after she was barred from running by the court.

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Meanwhile, a politician aligned with the ruling party disclosed this week that he has submitted to the court a list of 20 people whose citizenship he wants revoked, a list that includes Machado, as reported by Reuters.

A Panterra poll conducted in August showed that 70% of Venezuelans oppose the ruling party. Among respondents, 60% supported US backing for Machado's leadership, while only 16% favoured renewed negotiations with Maduro.

(With inputs from agencies)

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