Trump ramps up conflict with Venezuela through CIA-backed anti-cartel operation

Donald Trump has announced that he has authorized CIA operations in Venezuela, marking an unprecedented escalation in his administration’s campaign against drug cartels.

According to The New York Times, the decision comes several weeks after U.S. strikes targeted vessels that the Trump administration claimed were transporting narcotics toward the United States.

Nearly 30 deaths

Trump also stated that he may soon approve direct operations on Venezuelan soil, raising the prospect of a potential military confrontation with a South American nation.

Since early September, U.S. forces led by Pete Hegseth have been targeting boats off the Venezuelan coast that they claim are transporting narcotics, resulting in nearly 30 deaths.

«We are certainly looking at land now, because we’ve got the sea very well under control.»

The operations were reportedly carried out at Donald Trump’s direction. However, doubts persist over whether all those killed were drug traffickers, as the Trump administration asserts.

Colombian authorities have stated that one vessel hit during a fifth U.S. strike was in fact a Colombian civilian boat.

A military confrontation between the two countries?

Trump appears unsatisfied with the results of his international maritime operations, as the CIA has now been authorized to conduct covert special missions inside Venezuela targeting drug cartels.

«In the face of this maximum military pressure, we have declared maximum preparedness for the defense of Venezuela.»

The president has insisted that the next phase could involve direct strikes on targets within Venezuela, a move that would almost certainly trigger a military confrontation between the two countries.

Speaking to reporters inside the White House, Trump said, «We are certainly looking at land now, because we’ve got the sea very well under control.»

According to the Associated Press, President Nicolás Maduro said the country was in «maximum readiness» and warned that any attack would trigger a national mobilization: «In the face of this maximum military pressure, we have declared maximum preparedness for the defense of Venezuela,» adding that the deployment was «an extravagant, unjustifiable, immoral and absolutely criminal and bloody threat.»

According to The New York Times, roughly 10,000 U.S. troops have been deployed across the Caribbean region, most of them stationed in Puerto Rico, with additional Marine units operating from amphibious assault ships.