U.S. weighing airstrikes on Venezuelan military sites linked to drug trafficking – WSJ

The Trump administration is evaluating potential airstrikes in Venezuela that would target military-run facilities allegedly used for drug trafficking, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Officials told the WSJ that the list of targets includes airstrips, ports, and naval facilities believed to be central to Venezuela’s drug-smuggling operations.

President Donald Trump has not yet made a final decision on whether to authorize the strikes, but officials said the intent would be to send a clear message to Maduro that “it is time to step down,” the WSJ reported.

Since September, the U.S. has intensified operations in the region, conducting at least 15 strikes on suspected drug-carrying vessels in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, killing more than 60 people. Many of the strikes have occurred off the Venezuelan coast as part of what the administration describes as a broader anti-cartel campaign.

Trump confirmed earlier this month that he authorized the CIA to take action in Venezuela, citing concerns over drug trafficking and the alleged release of Venezuelan prisoners into the United States.

“A lot of the Venezuelan drugs come in through the sea, but we are going to stop them by land also,” Trump told reporters at the White House.

The Trump administration has linked the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, which has been designated a foreign terrorist organization, to Maduro’s inner circle and to smuggling operations throughout Latin America.

Venezuela’s government has accused Washington of preparing a military provocation, claiming earlier this week that it captured a group of mercenaries allegedly linked to the CIA to carry out a false-flag attack intended to trigger a U.S. intervention.