(MENAFN) US President Donald Trump on Friday dismissed reports suggesting imminent strikes on Venezuelan military sites, telling reporters that no decision had been made on the issue.

“Not, it's not true,” Trump said aboard Air Force One when asked if he was considering attacks within Venezuela.

Several media reports had claimed the US administration was preparing strikes targeting military installations tied to the Cartel de los Soles, a drug-trafficking network allegedly responsible for moving hundreds of tons of cocaine annually. Washington has accused Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro of leading the cartel and designated it a “terrorist” organization in July 2025.
According to reports, the planned strikes could occur within days or hours, while the US has increased its reward for information on Maduro to $50 million, offering $25 million for key lieutenants such as Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello. “Maduro is about to find himself trapped and might soon discover that he cannot flee the country even if he decided to,” one source said.

“What’s worse for him, there is now more than one general willing to capture and hand him over, fully aware that one thing is to talk about death, and another to see it coming.”

Since early September, at least 14 strikes have reportedly been carried out in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, killing more than 60 people. Human rights organizations and legal experts have raised concerns about the legality of these operations, citing potential violations of international law. The UN human rights chief described the attacks as “unacceptable” and called for an independent investigation into what were characterized as extrajudicial killings.

Maduro dismissed US allegations, calling them “vulgar” and “totally fake,” and insisted that Venezuela “does not produce cocaine leaves.” He also warned that US military activity near Venezuelan coasts could signal plans for “a new, eternal war.”

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