Trump edges closer to war with Venezuela
The United States appears poised to strike military targets inside Venezuela, according to a report by the Miami Herald on the 31st of October that cited unnamed sources, despite President Donald Trump publicly denying any decision to launch attacks.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on October 31st , Trump responded “No” when asked whether he was considering strikes on Venezuelan soil, as reported by Reuters.
However, this contradicts earlier comments by the president of the United States where he stated that “the land is going to be next” following a series of maritime operations against what the White House have designated as “narco-terrorist” networks.
In recent months, the U.S. has built up a major military presence in the Caribbean, deploying warships, fighter jets, and thousands of troops. The USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group, which arrived in late October and contains the largest aircraft carrier in the world, is the most significant U.S. deployment to the region in years.
At face value this is part of an expanding campaign to dismantle the Cartel de los Soles, a network Washington says is embedded in Venezuela’s armed forces and responsible for large-scale cocaine exports. However, the Trump administrations increasing political pressure on Maduro’s government combined with the build up of U.S. military assets points to a broader strategy of regime change in Venezuela.
So far, U.S. forces have destroyed at least 14 vessels alleged to be involved in narcotics smuggling, killing more than 60 suspected traffickers. On the 1st of November Pete Hegseth confirmed the latest lethal strike against alleged “narco-terrorists”, as reported by The Associated Press.
The legality of these strikes is extremely questionable, on the 31st of October the UN’s human rights chief stated that the strikes by U.S. forces violated international law and amount to “extrajudicial killing”. Trump claims that the U.S. is engaged in an armed conflict with various drug cartels, giving him the same legal justification that was used by the Bush administration during the war on terrorism following 9/11.
A cargo plane linked to the Russian Wagner mercenary group landed in Venezuela on the 26th of August, fuelling speculation that Maduro is preparing for further conflict with the U.S. by bolstering his arsenal with Russian weaponry.
The Trump administration has also intensified financial and legal pressure on Venezuela’s leadership. In August, Washington doubled the reward for information leading to President Nicolás Maduro’s arrest to $50 million, the highest bounty ever offered by the United States. Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López, both accused of cartel ties, remain under separate $25 million rewards.
While the White House insists reports of imminent strikes are “false,” the scale of the military buildup indicates serious preparation. Although tensions are already high, any move to strike land targets inside Venezuela would be serious escalation. It remains to be seen what further U.S. intervention might look like, will Washington conduct precision airstrikes similar to the strikes against Iran in June 2025? Or will Trump drag America into another forever war?
AP, BBC News, Miami Herald, Reuters, Maghrebi.org
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