(MENAFN- The Rio Times) The US Senate has narrowly voted down a measure that would have forced President Donald Trump to seek approval before any military action in or against Venezuela-leaving the White House with room to maneuver while it prosecutes a sea-based counternarcotics campaign.

The vote followed a classified briefing where senior officials acknowledged there is no current legal basis for strikes on Venezuelan soil, even as they defended ongoing operations at sea.

Since early September, US forces have hit fast boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific linked by Washington to drug networks, with at least 66 people killed. The message: pressure is rising without a formal march to war.

At the same time, the USS Gerald R. Ford-the Navy's most advanced carrier-is heading toward the Caribbean to join a sizable US presence already in international waters off Venezuela.

If the air wing and escorts arrive as signaled, a meaningful share of America's deployed warships will be concentrated near Latin America.



Officials say no decision has been made about land targets; internal scenarios reportedly range from precision strikes on units shielding Nicolás Maduro to moves that would touch energy assets.
US treads carefully on Venezuela pressure
Trump has signaled caution about missions that risk American lives, a view many voters share, even as some advisers argue that harder pressure shortens the crisis.

The legal and political fight is unmistakable. Supporters of tighter limits warn the maritime campaign could drift into a wider conflict. Skeptics of restraint argue that advertising red lines only emboldens criminal networks and the regime they are said to nourish.

Outside Congress, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado backs the pressure, framing Maduro as the hub of an illicit web that harms Venezuelans and destabilizes neighbors.

Why this matters for readers abroad: any escalation could jolt energy flows, flight routes, and insurance costs; raise compliance and sanctions exposure for firms with Latin ties; and shape migration dynamics already affecting the hemisphere.

For now, Washington is signaling strength at sea while keeping decisions on land deliberately ambiguous-a mix designed to deter without overcommitting.

Whether that balance holds will depend on what happens not in Washington's hearing rooms, but on dark waters where fast boats, patrol aircraft, and politics meet.

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