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By Brendan Cole
Senior Reporter
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President Donald Trump has said the U.S. will carry out imminent strikes on Venezuela to intercept alleged narcotics shipments from the country.
"It's going to be starting on land pretty soon," Trump said, without specifying further.
Newsweek has contacted the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry for comment outside office hours.
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Why It Matters
The U.S. president issued the warning after American forces seized an oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast.
The U.S. is preparing to intercept more ships carrying sanctioned Venezuelan oil, Reuters reported, citing six sources familiar with the matter. Tensions between the countries have been growing since the U.S. began its military buildup in the Caribbean, which Caracas has said is a prelude to regime change. Trump's latest comments raise fears of an open conflict between the countries.
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What To Know
Trump said on Thursday that the U.S. would soon strike to intercept narcotics shipments going from Venezuela to the United States via land routes.
He said drug trafficking by sea was down, and that "we'll start that on land, too ... pretty soon."
Trump made similar comments at the end of November, in which he said his actions had stopped the drug trade by sea, and that this crackdown would extend to the land "very soon."
Trump gave no further details, but analysts have previously dismissed the idea that there would be American boots on the ground in Venezuela, whose government—led by President Nicolás Maduro—Washington does not recognize following a disputed election in 2024.
Jennifer Kavanagh, a senior fellow and the director of military analysis at the think tank Defense Priorities, told Newsweek earlier this week that the White House was conscious of the perception in the U.S., particularly among its base, that the campaign was not about tackling drugs but about regime change, which is unpopular.
These factors would be weighing heavily on any sort of decision to use military force, so there are some constraints on Trump's willingness and ability to act, she added.
Any strikes would likely target sites Washington said were linked to cartels, such as drug infrastructure, Kavanagh added.
Maduro has denied the drug links Trump accuses him of, and Caracas has said Washington is pushing to oust him from power. Since September, the U.S. has attacked over 20 vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific in international waters, killing 83 people in a campaign that Trump administration officials said was targeting boats carrying narcotics to the United States.
Adding to tensions was the capture by U.S. forces of the vessel Washington said was transporting sanctioned Venezuelan oil.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump told reporters on Thursday: "They've treated us badly, and I guess now we're not treating them so good. If you look at the drug traffic—drug traffic by sea is down 92 percent, and nobody can figure out who the 8 percent is. ... We'll start that on land, too. It's going to be starting on land pretty soon."
What Happens Next
Following the capture of the Venezuelan oil tanker on Wednesday, Reuters reported that the United States was preparing to intercept more ships carrying Venezuelan oil. With Trump's repeated comments about land strikes, anticipation continues to build over whether tensions in the region will escalate.
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