WASHINGTON—The president of the United States, donald trumpassured that he has already defined his next step against Venezuela, although he avoided revealing details in the midst of the largest US military deployment in the Caribbean in recent years and the beginning of Operation Lanza del Sur, directed against the so-called Cartel of the Suns and drug organizations in the hemisphere.
“I have made a decision, I can’t tell you what it is, but I certainly have made it.”The president told reporters this Friday.
The statement arose when a reporter asked him what Washington’s next moves would be regarding Venezuela after the military deployment in the Caribbean.
Trump insisted once again that he is not in a position to reveal what the next step will be. However, he reiterated that his administration has “made a lot of progress” in stopping the flow of drugs from Venezuela.
Operation Southern Lance
Trump’s comment occurs just 24 hours after the War Department formally announced the start of Operation Southern Spear, an offensive against drug trafficking in the Caribbean that, according to the Republican administration, includes as a target the Cartel of the Suns, designated by the United States as a terrorist organization, which is allegedly headed by Nicolás Maduro.
The Secretary of War, Pete Hegsethconfirmed that the order came directly from the president. “The president ordered us to take action and the War Department is complying”Hegseth said.
As he explained, the mission seeks to “defend the United States, expel narco-terrorists from the hemisphere and protect the country from the drugs that are killing people.”
Washington is currently carrying out one of the largest naval and air operations in the region in decades. On Tuesday he arrived in the Caribbean USS Gerald Fordthe largest aircraft carrier in the world, to reinforce the offensive against drug trafficking. The US presence also includes stealth aircraft F-35thousands of soldiers, warships and recent attacks against 21 vessels suspected of transporting drugs, leaving at least 80 dead.
Washington also announced new joint military exercises with Trinidad and Tobago, reinforcing the signal that the campaign against the cartels is entering a broader and more visible phase.
Options for Venezuela
Multiple sources cited by the chain C.B.S. They assure that senior US military commanders have presented Trump with new options for action in Venezuela, which even include ground operations if the president so orders.
Although Trump stated on November 2 that he does not want a war with Venezuela, he also emphasized that Maduro’s days “are numbered”reiterating his position that the Chavista leader is a drug trafficker and a threat to hemispheric security.
For now, the central question—what decision has already been made by Trump on Venezuela—remains unanswered. But the military deployment, new operational rules and the activation of “Lanza del Sur” indicate that the next phase of US policy towards the Maduro regime is already underway.
