Trump Signals Land Strikes in Venezuela Drug War
(MENAFN) President Donald Trump has indicated the United States may expand military operations targeting narcotics trafficking networks allegedly connected to Venezuela, shifting from maritime interdiction to ground-based attacks.
At Thursday's press conference, Trump highlighted what he characterized as substantial achievements in stopping suspected Venezuelan government-affiliated "drug boats." "Drugs coming in by sea are like 5% of what they were a year ago," he stated.
"The land is going to be next," he declared, offering no specifics regarding potential strike locations or timing.
The president also rejected assertions that congressional war authorization is required for operations against alleged drug traffickers. "We may go to the Senate; we may go to the Congress and tell them about it, but I can't imagine they'd have any problem with it," he remarked.
Recent weeks have seen American naval and aerial forces attack vessels Washington claims are Venezuelan-affiliated drug transport craft operating in Caribbean and Pacific waters, resulting in dozens of casualties. Caracas has denied involvement in narcotics smuggling and charged Washington with pursuing "regime change."
Bilateral tensions escalated after Trump revealed last week he had greenlit clandestine CIA operations within Venezuela. President Nicolas Maduro called the public disclosure unprecedented and "desperate," simultaneously ordering military forces to maximum readiness. He additionally cautioned that Venezuela possesses an extensive inventory of Soviet-manufactured Igla-S anti-aircraft defense systems.
On Thursday, the Wall Street Journal published a report citing anonymous sources claiming two nuclear-capable US Air Force B-1 strategic bombers flew in proximity to Venezuelan airspace. Trump denied the account but acknowledged that "we're not happy with Venezuela."
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