U.S. President Donald Trump is reportedly reviewing strike options against Venezuela, with plans that could be executed in the coming weeks under the pretext of targeting drug networks and leaders within the country.
According to multiple American media outlets, the administration is weighing a range of operations, including drone strikes and airstrikes on suspected drug labs and individuals who would be described as cartel leadership. While officials insist no plans currently involve deploying U.S. ground forces, Washington’s recent military buildup in the Caribbean has raised questions about whether regime change remains an unstated objective.
Trump has publicly denied seeking the overthrow of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, stating recently that "We're not talking about that", though Maduro has accused Washington of plotting exactly that. However, the U.S. has placed a $50 million bounty on Maduro, accusing him of running the Tren de Aragua cartel. Analysts note that this creates a blurred line between counter-narcotics actions and direct attempts to eliminate Venezuela’s political and military leadership, depending on how targets are defined.
The U.S. military presence near Venezuela has expanded since last month, including guided-missile destroyers, nuclear-powered attack submarines, F-35 stealth fighters, and amphibious landing ships carrying an estimated 4,000 Marines. Washington has already carried out lethal encounters at sea, sinking three Venezuelan vessels and killing at least 14 people—whom U.S. officials described as drug smugglers, though Caracas insists they were fishermen. Members of Congress have since revealed that FBI briefings provided no evidence to substantiate the military’s claims about narcotics trafficking.
Trump’s latest posture toward Venezuela comes against a history of hardline stances against Maduro, one being his failed 2019 effort to oust Maduro by backing opposition figure Juan Guaidó, who Trump had recognized as the President of the country, a move that ended in embarrassment after the attempted coup collapsed.