Trump avoids commenting on a possible attack against Venezuela

US President Donald Trump refrained from making any explicit comment on the possibility of his country carrying out a military operation against Venezuela, saying only that Washington had made “significant progress” in its efforts to stop the flow of drugs from this country, according to what he said during his statements yesterday, Friday, while leaving Washington, D.C., heading to his resort in Florida for the weekend.

When asked if he had made a decision about launching a military operation against Venezuela, Trump said: “I can’t tell you that, but there are some thoughts on that topic.”

These statements coincide with reports in the American press stating that senior military commanders presented Trump with “updated military options” for dealing with Venezuela, including the possibility of direct military intervention.

Last August, Trump issued an executive order to increase the use of the military under the pretext of “fighting drug cartels” in Latin America. In this context, Washington announced the sending of warships and a submarine off the Venezuelan coast, while US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth confirmed that the army is “ready for operations, including regime change in Venezuela.”

For his part, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced the mobilization of 4.5 million people within the country’s defense forces, confirming its readiness to confront any possible attack.

Operations carried out by the US military against boats in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, under the pretext of drug smuggling, which included direct targeting of people on board, sparked widespread controversy in the international community regarding “extrajudicial killings.”