President Trump accelerates military operations in Caribbean, explores selective attacks inside Venezuela

As confirmed by ABC, a group of senior military commanders presented President Trump at the White House on Wednesday with the following updated options: Possible operations It includes the first selective action against ground targets inside Venezuela. Those participating in the meeting were Secretary of the Army Pete HegsethChairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Kaine and other national security officials.

Although a final decision has not yet been made, the same source said: The president asked his advisers for details about the fallout from Chavismo, the timeline, and foreseeable retaliation. and his allies.

In parallel, Hegseth admitted in X that the anti-drug campaign in the Caribbean is now called “Operation Southern Lance” And it will be commanded by a specific command, the Southern Lanza Joint Force, located in the orbit of the US Southern Command. “President Trump ordered action and the Department of the Army is following suit.”I wrote. “This mission is to protect our homeland, rid the hemisphere of narco-terrorists, and protect our country from drugs that kill our people. “The Western Hemisphere is America’s neighborhood, and we are going to protect it.”

The name had already been popularized in January, shortly after President Trump entered the White House, but it has now been repurposed for sustained and widespread operations in the Caribbean, where a contingent of U.S. Navy units, including the aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford, are being deployed.

The military aspect is considerable. In addition to the initial forces already deployed (ships with Tomahawk missiles, attack submarines, and more than 4,000 sailors and Marines), there are now nearly a dozen naval vessels and a total of about 12,000 troops in the region. Trump also ordered the relocation of 10 F-35 fighter jets in Puerto Rico, where the Marines train in amphibious landings and maritime interdiction operations.

The U.S. operation has so far included at least 17 attacks on suspicious vessels in South American and Caribbean waters, with a total of 21 vessels involved. Between 69 and 80 alleged traffickers have died there, some of whom have been designated by Washington as members of terrorist organizations. Only two survivors were rescued by U.S. troops and repatriated to Ecuador and Colombia. One was released because no evidence was found against him.

At the political level, The White House makes no secret that Venezuela is its main objective. As ABC reported in September, President Trump has since been exploring using the anti-drug campaign’s alibi to attack the logistics of the Soles Cartel and Aragua Train, an organization that the U.S. Attorney’s Office says operates under the protection of Chavista leadership. Bounty for capturing Nicolas Maduro doubles to $50 million and in the senate There are already discussions on raising the amount to 100 million yen.. Venezuelan president faces charges in US for allegedly sending cocaine to his country “For personal gain and his family circumstances.”.

Sources reviewed by the ABC describe a map that is under constant review, including potential targets inside Venezuela: secret airstrips, logistics camps, fuel depots, and nodal points of interest for the cartel and the Chavista leadership. “The goal is to reduce the regime’s financial and operational capabilities without resorting to a classic invasion,” sums up an official familiar with these discussions. Officially, that line is still there “There is no talk of a change of government.”However, military and financial preparations indicate a strangulation strategy to try to spark a domestic movement against Maduro.

External escalations also intersect with internal movements in Washington. The June attack on Iran’s nuclear program sets a precedent and serves as a warning. The coup forced the White House to send a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate President Pro Tempore Chuck Grassley documenting that President Trump was acting under his constitutional authority as commander in chief. Congressional sources told the ABC that if the attack were to extend to Venezuelan territory, a debate over the War Powers Act would be inevitable.

For the past two months, the U.S. Destroyed several drug ships loaded with cocaine on the high seassometimes without any prior eavesdropping attempts. “By order of the president, we blew up the ship without boarding it. And it will happen again,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said. “This is a counter-drug operation,” insisting that “we will stand up to the cartels wherever they are.”

In Caracas, President Maduro warned that any invasion would mean a transition to a state system. “The stage of the armed, planned and organized struggle of the whole people against aggression”. In Washington, impressions differ among the administration’s toughest branches. “We’ve been describing Venezuela as a narco-state for years,” another White House official said. “Right now, we’re coordinating military, legal and financial capabilities to make sure this has real consequences.”