The White House denied on Friday that Donald Trump’s administration has decided to imminently attack military targets in Venezuela, rejecting recent media reports about alleged intervention plans. In statements collected by Fox News Digital spokesperson Anna Kelly said: “Anonymous sources don’t know what they are talking about. Any announcement related to policy towards Venezuela would come directly from the President”.
For weeks, Trump has expressed his willingness to launch ground operations against the South American country, but the new information has been questioned by the administration. The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that U.S. officials identified military targets in Venezuela allegedly linked to the transportation of drugsalthough the media pointed out that The president had not made a formal decision on possible ground attacks.
In statements collected by BloombergNewsTrump noted on Friday aboard Air Force One that It has not yet been decided on possible attacks on targets inside Venezuela. Simultaneously, Miami Herald published that the administration had chosen to carry out these attacks in a matter of “days or even hours”according to anonymous sources consulted by that medium.
So much The Wall Street Journal like him Miami Herald They based their information on unidentified sources, supposedly close to the government’s plans. He Miami Herald He added that the attacks would respond to a new offensive against the Cartel de los Soles, a criminal organization that, according to the attorney general Pam Bondi —whose statements were cited—would be headed by the Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro.
The Trump administration does not recognize Maduro as the legitimate head of state. Furthermore, it increased to USD 50 million the reward for information leading to his capture, stating that it is “one of the biggest drug traffickers in the world”.
Meanwhile, the US military has stepped up its actions against suspected drug trafficking vessels in Latin America, racking up at least 14 attacks since the beginning of September. Trump also ordered the deployment of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford towards the region.
According to Brent Sadler, senior researcher in naval security and advanced technology at The Heritage Foundation, the presence of the aircraft carrier provides Trump with “additional options” if he seeks to increase pressure against the cartels. Sadler stated in an email to Fox News Digital on Monday that the arrival of the Ford to the Southern Command area of responsibility is not unprecedented, but that, under the current context, “seeks to dissuade Venezuela from escalating the crisis and offers the president new alternatives to intensify the attacks”. He added that he hopes the carrier’s air wing will play an active role in surveillance and air defense.
After the movement of the USS Gerald R. Ford spread, Maduro accused Trump of “make a new eternal war”in a national broadcast collected on Friday.
Not all US lawmakers support Trump’s proposed actions in Latin America. Sens. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) introduced a war powers resolution this month, seeking to prohibit the U.S. military from participating in “hostilities” against Venezuela. In an October 17 statement to the press, Schiff indicated that “the Trump administration has made clear that it could launch military actions within Venezuela’s borders and that it will not be limited to attacks on vessels in the Caribbean.”
