Topline
The Trump administration is preparing to carry out strikes on military installations inside Venezuela that could come as soon as Friday, the Miami Herald reports, escalating the federal government’s attacks on drug cartels and Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro’s regime.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro attends the ‘Gran Marcha Mundial por la Paz’ on August 17, 2024 in Caracas, Venezuela.
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Key Facts
The Trump administration has affirmatively decided to carry out land strikes inside Venezuela, the Herald reported citing anonymous sources, which could begin at “any moment,” within hours or days of the Herald’s report Friday morning.
The report comes after The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday evening that the White House was considering airstrikes on targets within Venezuela, though it had not yet decided at that time to carry them out.
The reported strikes are part of a broader effort the Trump administration has been waging against Maduro’s government in Venezuela, as the White House has alleged Maduro is leading a drug-trafficking operation in the country, an allegation that the Venezuelan leader has denied.
It’s unclear precisely where any strikes could take place, though the Journal reported targets were likely to be places like ports, airports and naval facilities that are controlled by Venezuela’s military and allegedly used to traffic drugs.
Any land strikes in Venezuela would mark an escalation of the Trump administration’s efforts in the region, after the U.S. has previously carried out strikes on boats off the country’s coast, alleging the vessels were smuggling drugs.
Sources cited by the Herald “declined to say” if Maduro himself would be a target in the Trump administration’s planned strikes.
This story is breaking and will be updated.
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