(MENAFN) US President Donald Trump indicated Friday that he has already reached a conclusion regarding potential actions toward Venezuela, though he opted not to reveal any specifics while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One. When questioned about whether he had settled on a course of action, he replied, “I can’t tell you what it would be, but I sort of did,” adding that “We’ve made a lot of progress with Venezuela in terms of stopping drugs from pouring in.”

He said ongoing US efforts to stem narcotics movement were seeing measurable improvement, but noted that challenges persist with nearby nations. “We have a Mexico problem. We have a Colombia problem,” he said. “We're doing very well. Drugs coming into our country are greatly slowed, as you can imagine.”

Over the past two months, according to reports, the US military has carried out lethal operations against at least 21 boats it claims were carrying narcotics from South America, despite not presenting proof of drug-smuggling activity. These attacks have reportedly left around 80 people dead. In response, Venezuela has activated both military units and civilian defense groups throughout the country.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated Thursday that the US is launching a new initiative known as "Operation Southern Spear," which aims to eliminate "narco-terrorists from our hemisphere." He wrote on the social platform X that "President (Donald) Trump ordered action — and the Department of War is delivering."

According to reports, Trump was briefed Thursday on various military possibilities for Venezuela — including potential land-based strikes — during discussions with top defense leaders at the White House. These accounts say that Hegseth, Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine, and other senior officials "briefed the president on military options for the coming days."

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