A report published by the Miami Herald on Friday claims that the U.S. is planning to launch strikes against Venezuela, while President Donald Trump denies that he is considering any military action in the Latin American country.
According to the Miami Herald, the Trump administration has made a decision to target military installations within Venezuela “at any moment.”
The report suggests that these new strikes might occur within days. One source cited in the paper hinted at a potential regime change in Venezuela, stating: “Maduro is about to find himself trapped and might soon discover that he cannot flee the country even if he wanted to.”
However, Trump denied the reports of imminent strikes, telling reporters on Friday that he has not made a final decision.
U.S. senator Lindsey Graham says that land strikes in Venezuela are a “real possibility.” He asserted that despite Washington’s “war on drugs,” his administration is not considering military strikes against Venezuela, appearing to contradict his own remarks from the previous week.
When asked by reporters if recent US strikes on vessels in the Caribbean, reportedly smuggling narcotics, could escalate into attacks against Venezuela itself, Trump simply replied, “No.”
In recent weeks, Trump has publicly stated that his administration will target alleged drug-related activities inside Venezuela, declaring, “The land is going to be next,” during a press conference last week.
And there were very evident signs that a U.S. military operation against Venezuelan territory is about to take place.
Trinidad and Tobago, which neighbours Venezuela and has been hosting a US warship, put its military on alert on Friday and recalled all personnel to their bases.
Trinidadian forces have been placed on “STATE ONE ALERT LEVEL,” a message sent by the army said, according to the AFP news agency. Police said that “all leave is restricted” until further notice.
The Trinidad and Tobago Guardian newspaper also confirmed that soldiers had been ordered to report to duty.
