(MENAFN) US President Donald Trump indicated Friday that he has already settled on how he plans to proceed regarding potential measures toward Venezuela, though he refused to reveal any specifics while speaking with journalists aboard Air Force One.

“I can’t tell you what it would be, but I sort of did,” he said when questioned about whether a decision had been reached. “We’ve made a lot of progress with Venezuela in terms of stopping drugs from pouring in.”

According to reports, Trump emphasized that efforts to restrict narcotics entering the US have shown improvement, but he noted ongoing difficulties linked to nearby nations.

“We have a Mexico problem. We have a Colombia problem,” he stated. “We're doing very well. Drugs coming into our country are greatly slowed, as you can imagine.”

Over the past two months, the US military has reportedly carried out lethal strikes on more than 20 vessels it claims were carrying drugs from South America, though no evidence was publicly released to support the allegations. These actions have allegedly resulted in about 80 deaths.

In reaction to the attacks, Venezuela has deployed both regular troops and civilian defense units across its territory, according to accounts from the region.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday that the US is preparing to launch a fresh operation called "Operation Southern Spear," which he described as an effort to eliminate “narco-terrorists from our hemisphere.” He added on social media that "President (Donald) Trump ordered action — and the Department of War is delivering."

Reports indicated that Trump received briefings at the White House from senior military leaders, who outlined a range of possible actions in Venezuela, including ground operations. According to these accounts, Hegseth, Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine and other top officials “briefed the president on military options for the coming days.”

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