President Donald Trump emphatically stated on Friday that he is not considering military strikes against Venezuela, despite Caracas’s persistent fears regarding a substantial US military buildup in the Caribbean region. The Venezuelan government worries the major naval and air deployment signals a plan for aggressive, US-led regime change against President Nicolás Maduro’s administration.
Deployment Fuels Caracas’s Concerns
Consequently, the United States has recently deployed eight formidable Navy ships to the Caribbean Sea and simultaneously sent advanced F-35 stealth warplanes to nearby Puerto Rico. In fact, an additional aircraft carrier strike group is currently en route to the region, creating a massive military force that Washington insists primarily aims to curb illegal drug trafficking.
A journalist aboard Air Force One directly asked Trump about persistent reports detailing potential strikes; President Trump concisely replied, “No.” Furthermore, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered the same direct message while actively responding to a Miami Herald article claiming that Washington’s powerful forces will hit Venezuela. Rubio quickly discredited the Miami Herald’s sources, posting a harsh statement on X: “Your ‘sources’ claiming to have ‘knowledge of the situation’ tricked you into writing a fake story.”
Escalation of Anti-Smuggling Operations
However, the United States simultaneously launched a massive campaign of aggressive strikes in early September, primarily targeting alleged drug-smuggling vessels across the Caribbean and eastern Pacific oceans. This robust campaign has already resulted in the deaths of at least 62 individuals while successfully destroying fourteen small boats and one semi-submersible vessel.
The Trump administration specifically portrays these small, fast boats as a serious threat to US national security because of the illicit drugs they allegedly carry aboard. Nevertheless, international experts warn that such strikes regrettably amount to extrajudicial killings even if the targeted individuals are known, convicted traffickers.
In addition to the naval and air assets deployed across the immediate region, Washington has carried out multiple provocative shows of powerful force using B-52 and B-1B bombers. These heavy bombers frequently fly intimidating sorties quite close to Venezuela’s sensitive coastline, with the most recent conspicuous flight occurring just on Monday morning.
Consequently, regional tensions have significantly flared because of these high-profile, aggressive strikes and the massive, visible military buildup. Venezuela repeatedly claims the United States is actively plotting to forcibly overthrow President Nicolas Maduro, who unequivocally accused Washington of “fabricating a war.”
