ReportWire

Tag: venezuela news

  • Venezuelan communities hold meetings in Chicago area after US captures President Maduro

    [ad_1]

    CHICAGO (WLS) — Community meetings were planned across the Chicago area on Sunday after the U.S. military’s strikes in Venezuela and capture of the South American country’s president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife.

    Protesters gathered in downtown Chicago on Saturday just hours after President Donald Trump announced details of the attack. Many say they are against his decision to carry it out.

    ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

    Federal Plaza in the Loop was packed with demonstrators pushing back against the Trump administration on Saturday. They say his actions were an unnecessary act of war.

    Conversely, many Venezuelan nationals are happy to see the regime removed, but there are questions over how the operation was carried out without Congress being made aware.

    SEE ALSO | Trump’s plan to seize and revitalize Venezuela’s oil industry faces major hurdles

    Some demonstrators want the Trump administration to be focused on issues unfolding in the United States. Others ABC7 spoke with say this attack on Venezuela reminds them of previous U.S. involvement in international conflict.

    Trump says the U.S. is going to run Venezuela in the interim until a transition can happen.

    Maduro is currently being held in a Brooklyn, New York, detention center and faces drug and weapons charges. Venezuela’s vice president, meanwhile, addressed the country on state television after the attack, calling for Maduro’s release.

    Sunday afternoon’s community meetings are expected to take place in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood and in north suburban Schaumburg.

    Copyright © 2026 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.

    [ad_2]

    Christian Piekos

    Source link

  • Maduro to appear in Manhattan federal court on Monday for arraignment on alleged drug charges

    [ad_1]

    CARACAS, Venezuela — Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro will appear in Manhattan federal court Monday for arraignment on a four-count indictment that charged him with leading a 25-year narco-terrorism conspiracy.

    Hours after an audacious military operation that plucked Maduro from power and removed him from the country, President Donald Trump said Saturday that the United States would run Venezuela at least temporarily and tap its vast oil reserves to sell to other nations.

    The dramatic action capped an intensive Trump administration pressure campaign on the South American nation and its autocratic leader, and months of secret planning resulting in the most assertive American action to achieve regime change since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

    Watch President Trump’s full address following strikes on Venezuela and the capture of Maduro and his wife.

    Legal experts immediately raised questions about whether the operation was lawful, and Venezuela’s vice president demanded in a speech that the U.S. free Maduro and called him the country’s rightful leader.

    Speaking to reporters hours after Maduro’s capture, Trump revealed his plans to exploit the leadership void to “fix” the country’s oil infrastructure and sell “large amounts” of oil to other countries.

    “We’re going to run the country,” Trump said following the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

    Maduro and his wife, seized overnight from their home on a military base, were first taken aboard a U.S. warship on their way to face prosecution for a Justice Department indictment accusing them of participating in a narco-terrorism conspiracy. A plane believed to be carrying the deposed leader landed Saturday evening in New York.

    A person in custody was escorted off the jet, gingerly making his way down a stairway before being led across the tarmac surrounded by federal agents. Several agents appeared to film the person on their phones.

    Photos obtained by ABC News show a handcuffed Maduro being escorted by Drug Enforcement Administrator Terry Cole and other federal agents after landing in New York.

    After arriving at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, New York, Maduro was taken by helicopter to New York City and then to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

    The legal authority for the incursion, done without congressional approval, was not immediately clear, but the Trump administration promoted the ouster as a step toward reducing the flow of dangerous drugs into the U.S. The president touted what he saw as other potential benefits, including a leadership stake in the country and greater control of oil.

    Trump claimed the U.S. government would help run the country and was already doing so, though there were no immediate signs of that. Venezuelan state TV continued to air pro-Maduro propaganda, broadcasting live images of supporters taking to the streets in Caracas in protest.

    “We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” Trump said at a Mar-a-Lago news conference where he boasted that this “extremely successful operation should serve as warning to anyone who would threaten American sovereignty or endanger American lives.”

    Maduro and other Venezuelan officials were indicted in 2020 on “narco-terrorism” conspiracy charges, but the Justice Department released a new indictment Saturday of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, that painted the regime as a “corrupt, illegitimate government” fueled by a drug trafficking operation that flooded the U.S with cocaine. The U.S. government does not recognize Maduro as the country’s leader.

    Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, details the U.S. military’s mission in Venezuela

    Trump posted a photo on social media showing Maduro wearing a sweatsuit and a blindfold on board the USS Iwo Jima.

    President Trump posted a photo on Truth Social allegedly showing Venezuelan President Maduro after his capture, writing, "Nicolas Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima."

    President Trump posted a photo on Truth Social allegedly showing Venezuelan President Maduro after his capture, writing, “Nicolas Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima.”

    Early morning attack

    The operation followed a monthslong Trump administration effort to push the Venezuelan leader, including a major buildup of American forces in the waters off South America and attacks on boats in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean accused of carrying drugs. Last week, the CIA was behind a drone strike at a docking area believed to have been used by Venezuelan drug cartels – the first known direct operation on Venezuelan soil since the U.S. began strikes in September.

    Maduro had decried prior military operations as a thinly veiled effort to topple him from power.

    Taking place 36 years to the day after the 1990 U.S. invasion of Panama that led to the surrender and seizure of leader Manuel Antonio Noriega, the Venezuela operation unfolded under the cover of darkness early Saturday as Trump said the U.S. turned off “almost all of the lights” in the capital city of Caracas while forces moved in to extract Maduro and his wife.

    Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said U.S. forces had rehearsed their maneuvers for months, learning everything about Maduro – where he was and what he ate, as well as details of his pets and his clothes.

    “We think, we develop, we train, we rehearse, we debrief, we rehearse again and again,” Caine said. “Not to get it right, but to ensure we cannot get it wrong.”

    Early Saturday, multiple explosions rang out and low-flying aircraft swept through Caracas. Maduro’s government accused the U.S. of hitting civilian and military installations, calling it an “imperialist attack” and urging citizens to take to the streets.

    The assault lasted less than 30 minutes, and the explosions – at least seven blasts – sent people rushing into the streets, while others took to social media to report what they saw and heard. Some Venezuelan civilians and members of the military were killed, said Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, without giving a number. Trump said some U.S. forces were injured but none were killed.

    Video obtained from Caracas and an unidentified coastal city showed tracers and smoke clouding the landscape as repeated muted explosions illuminated the night sky. Other footage showed cars passing on a highway as blasts illuminated the hills behind them. The videos were verified by The Associated Press.

    Smoke was seen rising from the hangar of a military base in Caracas, while another military installation in the capital was without electricity.

    Under Venezuelan law, Rodríguez would take over from Maduro. But Rodriguez stressed during a Saturday appearance on state television that she did not plan to assume power. She called for Maduro’s release and pronounced him president.

    “There is only one president in Venezuela, and his name is Nicolás Maduro Moros,” she said.

    U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, would face charges after an indictment in New York.

    Some streets in Caracas fill up

    Venezuela’s ruling party has held power since 1999, when Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chávez, took office, promising to uplift poor people and later to implement a self-described socialist revolution.

    Maduro took over when Chávez died in 2013. His 2018 reelection was widely considered a sham because the main opposition parties were banned from participating. During the 2024 election, electoral authorities loyal to the ruling party declared him the winner hours after polls closed, but the opposition gathered overwhelming evidence that he lost by a more than 2-to-1 margin.

    In a demonstration of how polarizing a figure Maduro is, people variously took to the streets to protest his capture and celebrate it.

    At a protest in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas Mayor Carmen Meléndez joined a crowd demanding Maduro’s return.

    “Maduro, hold on, the people are rising up!” the crowd chanted. “We are here, Nicolás Maduro. If you can hear us, we are here!”

    Earlier, armed people and uniformed members of a civilian militia took to the streets of a Caracas neighborhood long considered a stronghold of the ruling party.

    In other parts of the city, the streets remained empty hours after the attack. Some areas remained without power, but vehicles moved freely.

    “How do I feel? Scared, like everyone,” said Caracas resident Noris Prada, who sat on an empty avenue looking down at his phone. “Venezuelans woke up scared, many families couldn’t sleep.”

    In Doral, Florida, home to the largest Venezuelan community in the U.S, people wrapped themselves in Venezuelan flags, ate fried snacks and cheered as music played. At one point, the crowd chanted “Liberty! Liberty! Liberty!”

    Eleazar Saldivia was forced to flee Venezuela after political pressure and death threats.

    Questions of legality

    Some legal experts raised immediate concerns about the operation’s legality.

    The U.N. Security Council, acting on an emergency request from Colombia, planned to hold a meeting on U.S. operations in Venezuela on Monday morning, according to a council diplomat, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a meeting not yet made public.

    Lawmakers from both political parties in Congress have raised reservations and flat-out objections to the U.S. attacks on boats suspected of drug smuggling near the Venezuelan coast. Congress has not specifically approved an authorization for the use of military force for such operations in the region.

    Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said he had seen no evidence that would justify Trump striking Venezuela without approval from Congress and demanded an immediate briefing by the administration on “its plan to ensure stability in the region and its legal justification for this decision.”

    Toropin and Tucker reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Jorge Rueda in Caracas, Venezuela, Lisa Mascaro, Michelle L. Price, Seung Min Kim and Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington, Farnoush Amiri in New York and Larry Neumeister in South Amboy, New Jersey, contributed to this report.

    ABC News contributed to this report

    Copyright © 2026 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

    [ad_2]

    AP

    Source link

  • Trump’s plan to seize and revitalize Venezuela’s oil industry faces major hurdles

    [ad_1]

    CARACAS, Venezuela — President Donald Trump’s plan to take control of Venezuela’s oil industry and ask American companies to revitalize it after capturing President Nicolás Maduro in a raid isn’t likely to have a significant immediate impact on oil prices.

    Venezuela’s oil industry is in disrepair after years of neglect and international sanctions, so it could take years and major investments before production can increase dramatically. But some analysts are optimistic that Venezuela could double or triple its current output of about 1.1 million barrels of oil a day to return to historic levels fairly quickly.

    ABC News’ Aaron Katersky has the latest on what lies ahead for Maduro.

    “While many are reporting Venezuela’s oil infrastructure was unharmed by U.S. military actions, it has been decaying for many many years and will take time to rebuild,” said Patrick De Haan, who is the lead petroleum analyst at gasoline price tracker GasBuddy.

    American oil companies will want a stable regime in the country before they are willing to invest heavily, and the political picture remained uncertain Saturday with Trump saying that the United States is in charge, while the current Venezuelan vice president argued, before Venezuela’s high court ordered her to assume the role of interim president, that Maduro should be restored to power.

    “But if it seems like the U.S. is successful in running the country for the next 24 hours, I would say there would be a lot of optimism that U.S. energy companies could come in and revitalize the Venezuelan oil industry fairly quickly,” said Phil Flynn, a senior market analyst at the Price Futures Group.

    And if Venezuela can grow into an oil production powerhouse, Flynn said “that could cement lower prices for the longer term” and put more pressure on Russia.

    Oil isn’t traded over the weekend, so there wasn’t an immediate impact on prices. But a major shift in prices isn’t expected when the market does reopen. Venezuela is a member of OPEC so its production is already accounted for there. And there is currently a surplus of oil on the global market.

    Proven reserves

    Venezuela is known to have the world’s largest proven crude oil reserves of approximately 303 billion barrels, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That accounts for roughly 17% of all global oil reserves.

    So international oil companies have reason to be interested in Venezuela. Leading companies, including Exxon Mobil and Chevron, didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment Saturday. ConocoPhillips spokesperson Dennis Nuss said by email that the company “is monitoring developments in Venezuela and their potential implications for global energy supply and stability. It would be premature to speculate on any future business activities or investments.”

    Chevron is the only one with significant operations in Venezuela, where it produces about 250,000 barrels a day. Chevron, which first invested in Venezuela in the 1920s, does business in the country through joint ventures with the state-owned company Petróleos de Venezuela S.A., commonly known as PDVSA.

    But even with those massive reserves, Venezuela has been producing less than 1% of the world’s crude oil supply. Corruption, mismanagement and U.S. economic sanctions saw production steadily decline from the 3.5 million barrels per day pumped in 1999 to today’s levels.

    The problem isn’t finding the oil. It’s a question of the political environment and whether companies can count on the government to live up to their contracts. Back in 2007, then President Hugo Chávez nationalized much of the oil production and forced major players like ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips out.

    “The issue is not just that the infrastructure is in bad shape, but it’s mostly about how do you get foreign companies to start pouring money in before they have a clear perspective on the political stability, the contract situation and the like,” said Francisco Monaldi, who is the director of the Latin American energy program at Rice University.

    But the infrastructure does need significant investment.

    “The estimate is that in order for Venezuela to increase from one million barrels per day – that is what it produces today – to four million barrels, it will take about a decade and about a hundred billion dollars of investment,” Monaldi said.

    Strong demand

    Venezuela produces the kind of heavy crude oil that’s needed for diesel fuel, asphalt and other fuels for heavy equipment. Diesel is in short supply around the world because of the sanctions on oil from Venezuela and Russia and because America’s lighter crude oil can’t easily replace it.

    Years ago, American refineries on the Gulf Coast were optimized to handle that kind of heavy crude at a time when U.S. oil production was falling and Venezuelan and Mexican crude was plentiful. So refineries would love to have more access to Venezuela’s crude because it would help them operate more efficiently, and it tends to be a little cheaper.

    Boosting Venezuelan production could also make it easier to put pressure on Russia because Europe and the rest of the world could get more of the diesel and heavy oil they need from Venezuela and stop buying from Russia.

    “There’s been a big benefit for Russia to see Venezuela’s oil industry collapse. And the reason is because they were a competitor on the global stage for that oil market,” Flynn said.

    Complicated legal picture

    But Matthew Waxman, a Columbia University law professor who was a national security official in the George W. Bush administration, said seizing control of Venezuela’s resources opens up additional legal issues.

    “For example, a big issue will be who really owns Venezuela’s oil?” Waxman wrote in an email. “An occupying military power can’t enrich itself by taking another state’s resources, but the Trump administration will probably claim that the Venezuelan government never rightfully held them.”

    But Waxman, who served in the State and Defense departments and on the National Security Council under Bush, noted that “we’ve seen the administration talk very dismissively about international law when it comes to Venezuela.”

    ___

    Associated Press writers Matt O’Brien and Ben Finley contributed to this report.

    Copyright © 2026 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

    [ad_2]

    AP

    Source link

  • US strike on Venezuelan: Large crowd protests in Chicago, Illinois and Indiana leaders speak out

    [ad_1]

    CHICAGO (WLS) — Chicago-area leaders are speaking out after President Donald Trump announced the U.S. has captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife amid strikes in country overnight.

    The action has drawn mixed reaction. Some people were celebrating as others gathered Saturday evening at a protest downtown Chicago.

    Democrats are condemning the attack and capture of Maduro, because they say it was done without congressional approval, while Republicans are applauding the action, deeming it a win in the war on drug trafficking.

    ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

    The entirety of Federal Plaza in the Loop was packed with large crowds of protesters pushing back against the Trump administration. They say this is another unnecessary act of war while demanding an end to the use of tax payer dollars for international affairs.

    The fiery crowd in downtown Chicago spoke out against the U.S. attacks on Venezuela as President Maduro and his wife were taken into custody by U.S. forces. Anti-war activists say the U.S. has been down this road before.

    A large protest was held dowtown Chicago after President Donald Trump said the U.S. attacked Venezuela and captured Pres. Nicolás Maduro.

    “Whether it’s Saddam Hussein in Iraq or the Taliban in Afghanistan, Panama, Libya , you name it… whenever the U.S. attacks another country like this, it’s the people of those countries who suffer the most,” said Andy Thayer with the Chicago Committee Against War and Racism.

    While many Venezuelan nationals are happy to see the regime removed, there are growing concerns in the Chicago area over how all of this was carried out as Congress was not notified of the operation.

    “An open violation of international and U.S. law, invading a sovereign country, kidnapped their president, kidnapped their first lady, and call this just,” Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez said.

    Protesters continue to demand the Trump administration to focus on issues in the U.S.

    “The people of Chicago oppose this because our public infrastructure is underfunded it’s failing we don’t have social programs people are facing homelessness,” said Caeli Kean, Anti-War Committee of Chicago Co-Chair. “And meanwhile are tax payer dollars are going to bomb people in Venezuela.”

    RELATED | US Republicans largely back Trump on Venezuela action, US Democrats decry it as unjustified

    President Trump said Saturday that a team of U.S. officials will help run Venezuela during this transition.

    Thomas Mockaitis, a history professor at DePaul University, is worried about the precedent this sets for other international affairs.

    “If the United States can get away with doing this, how do we look Vladimir Putin in the eye and say, ‘You can’t invade another country. You can’t replace somebody just because you don’t like him,’” Mockaitis said. “He’s gonna look at us and say, ‘Why can’t we?’”

    Political leaders in Illinois and Indiana are weighing in on the overnight strike in Venezuela and capture of the country’s ousted leader. Democrats are saying the attack was done without Congress’ knowledge or approval.

    Congressman Brad Schneider (D-IL) serves on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

    “To be clear, there has been no communication from the [Trump] administration. The [Trump] administration did not notify anyone in Congress,” Rep. Schneider said. “We’ve been trying to understand what the attacks in the Caribbean and the Atlantic were about. If they were about drug smuggling, this is a president who just pardoned one of the most serious drug traffickers in the world.”

    Illinois Senator Dick Durbin said in a statement, “Nicolas Maduro repeatedly denied the will of the Venezuelan people,” but went on to say the Trump administration “MUST provide briefings for all Members of Congress as soon as possible this week.”

    Durbin’s Indiana counterparts, Republican senators Jim Banks and Todd Young, are supporting the military operation.

    Banks said “Maduro turned Venezuela into a narco-state. A drug cartel posing as a government and killing Americans. Let this be a warning to every narcoterrorist in the Western Hemisphere,” while Young said “This should be an opportunity to bring Maduro to justice for his many crimes and a day of new hope for the Venezuelan people.”

    Both Illinois and Indiana governors are split on the strike, too.

    Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is calling the military action “unconstitutional,” saying it puts American troops, “in harm’s way with no long-term strategy.”

    Indiana Governor Mike Braun says he stands with President Trump, saying that, “Indiana families have paid too high a price for the deadly drugs pushed by criminal regimes.”

    Illinois Governor JB Pritzker posted the following statement on social media:
    “Donald Trump’s unconstitutional military action in Venezuela is putting our troops in harm’s way with no long-term strategy.
    “The American people deserve a President focused on making their lives more affordable.”

    Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson issued the following statement:
    “The Trump administration’s military action in Venezuela violates international law and dangerously escalates the possibility of full-scale war. The illegal actions by the Trump administration have nothing to do with defending the Venezuelan people; they are solely about oil and power.
    “As we have said for the past two years, the dehumanization of migrants from Venezuela, and of immigrants generally, by the Far Right has laid the groundwork for military action in Central and South America. I strongly condemn the Trump administration’s inhumane treatment of migrants in our country and this illegal regime change abroad.
    “In Chicago, we will continue to uphold the values of peace, diplomacy, and mutual respect for all people.”

    U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) posted the following statement on social media:
    “Nicolás Maduro repeatedly denied the will of the Venezuelan people, including when two thirds of them voted for an end to decades of political & economic ruin and criminality.
    “However, I disagree with President Trump’s use of U.S. military forces without Congressional approval & worry deeply about this Admin’s follow through on foreign policy interventions.
    “The Trump Admin MUST provide briefings for all Members of Congress as soon as possible this week.”

    U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement:
    “The American people believed Donald Trump when he promised on the campaign trail that he would get our nation out of foreign wars, but this morning we awoke to another stark reminder that he is-and has always been-a liar who has never cared about keeping his promises. The Constitution requires the American people, through their elected representatives in Congress, to authorize any President to engage in acts of war-because they will be the ones to live with the consequences of the decision-and it is unacceptable for this President to deny them that responsibility.
    “While Trump-whose love of country is best measured by the number of times he dodged the draft during Vietnam-may believe that war is ‘like watching a TV show’ as he said this morning, he has never understood or appreciated that the true costs of war are measured not only in dollars and cents, but in the blood, sweat and sacrifices of our troops and our military families. Sadly, our troops understand all too well just how costly it can be when our nation engages in war without a plan for what comes next, destabilizing an entire region.
    “Donald Trump’s reckless and unconstitutional operations in Venezuela-including this morning’s arrest of a foreign leader-are not about enforcing law and order because if they were, he wouldn’t hide them from Congress. Maduro was unquestionably a bad actor, but no President has the authority to unilaterally decide to use force to topple a government, thrusting us and the region into uncertainty without justification, a defined end-state or a real plan for preventing the instability that could come next. His actions continue putting American troops, personnel and citizens at risk both in the region and around the globe. None of that serves our nation’s interests.”

    Indiana Governor Mike Braun posted the following statement on social media:
    “By arresting Nicolás Maduro, POTUS is cutting off narcoterrorism at the source and helping save Hoosier lives. Indiana families have paid too high a price for the deadly drugs pushed by criminal regimes, and we stand with President Trump in holding them accountable.”

    U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-IN) posted the following statements on social media:
    “I commend the bravery and professionalism of U.S. personnel who carried out a successful mission in Venezuela. This should be an opportunity to bring Maduro to justice for his many crimes and a day of new hope for the Venezuelan people. I look forward to hearing more about the Administration’s plans for a positive transition in the days ahead.”
    “I appreciate POTUS briefing the American people this morning about the successful operation in Venezuela. We still need more answers, especially to questions regarding the next steps in Venezuela’s transition. As Congress returns to Washington next week, I am eager to work with members of the Trump Administration to bring clarity to the situation.”

    U.S. Senator Jim Banks (R-IN) posted the following statements on social media:
    “Maduro turned Venezuela into a narco-state. A drug cartel posing as a government and killing Americans. Let this be a warning to every narcoterrorist in the Western Hemisphere. President Trump is doing exactly what Americans elected him to do, protect America and keep our people safe.”
    “Proud of our brave service members who got the job done and sacrifice everyday to keep America safe. The United States military is the strongest fighting force on Earth. God bless our troops.”

    Copyright © 2026 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.

    [ad_2]

    Maher Kawash

    Source link

  • A timeline of the US military’s buildup and strikes against Venezuela leading to Maduro’s capture

    [ad_1]

    WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump had long threatened that he could order military strikes on targets on Venezuelan territory after months of attacks on boats accused of carrying drugs from the South American country. President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela said the U.S. military operations were a thinly veiled effort to oust him from power.

    On Saturday, the U.S. conducted a “large-scale strike” against Venezuela. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were taken from their home on a military base and were aboard a U.S. warship on their way to New York, where they were to face criminal charges. An indictment accused them of a role in narco-terrorism conspiracy.

    The Venezuelan government called it an “imperialist attack” and urged citizens to take to the streets.

    Before the escalation, there had been 35 known strikes against alleged drug smuggling boats in South American waters since early September that killed at least 115 people, according to announcements from the Republican administration.

    The U.S. had sent a fleet of warships to the region, the largest buildup of forces in generations.

    The White House said Washington was in “armed conflict” with drug cartels to halt the flow of narcotics into the United States, while U.S. officials alleged that Maduro supported the international drug trade.

    Here is a timeline of the U.S. military actions and related developments:

    Jan. 20, 2025

    Trump signs an executive order that paved the way for criminal organizations and drug cartels to be named “foreign terrorist organizations.” They included Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan street gang.

    U.S. intelligence agencies have disputed Trump’s central claim that Maduro’s administration was working with Tren de Aragua and orchestrating drug trafficking and illegal immigration into the U.S.

    Feb. 20

    The Trump administration formally designated eight Latin American crime organizations as foreign terrorist organizations.

    The label is normally reserved for groups such as a-Qaida or the Islamic State that use violence for political ends, and not for profit-focused crime rings.

    Aug. 19

    The U.S. military deployed three guided-missile destroyers to the waters off Venezuela.

    The naval force in the Caribbean grew within weeks to include three amphibious assault ships and other vessels, carrying about 6,000 sailors and Marines and a variety of aircraft.

    The U.S. sent F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico in September, while a Navy submarine carrying cruise missiles operated off South America.

    Sept. 2

    The U.S. carried out its first strike against what Trump said was a drug-carrying vessel that departed from Venezuela and was operated by Tren de Aragua.

    Trump said all 11 people on the boat were killed. He posted a short video clip of a small vessel appearing to explode in flames.

    Sept. 10

    In a letter to the White House, Democratic senators said the administration had provided “no legitimate legal justification” for the strike.

    Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the U.S. military was not “empowered to hunt down suspected criminals and kill them without trial.”

    Sept. 15

    The U.S. military carried out its second strike against an alleged drug boat, killing three people.

    Asked what proof the U.S. had that the vessel was carrying drugs, Trump told reporters that big bags of cocaine and fentanyl were spattered all over the ocean. Images of what Trump described were not released by the military or the White House.

    Sept. 19

    Trump said the U.S. military carried out its third fatal strike against an alleged drug-smuggling vessel. Several senators and human rights groups continued to question the legality of the strikes, describing them as a potential overreach of executive authority.

    Oct. 2

    Trump declared drug cartels to be unlawful combatants and said the U.S. was now in an “armed conflict” with them, according to an administration memo obtained by The Associated Press.

    The memo appeared to represent an extraordinary assertion of presidential war powers and drew criticism from some lawmakers, including Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky.

    Oct. 3

    Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he ordered a fourth strike on a small boat he accused of carrying drugs.

    Oct. 8

    Senate Republicans voted down legislation that would have required the president to seek authorization from Congress before further military strikes.

    Oct. 14

    Trump announced the fifth strike against a small boat accused of carrying drugs, saying it killed six people.

    Oct. 15

    Trump confirmed he has authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations inside Venezuela and said he was weighing carrying out land operations in the country.

    He declined to say whether the CIA has authority to take action against Maduro.

    Oct. 16

    The Navy admiral who oversaw military operations in the region said he will retire in December.

    Adm. Alvin Holsey became leader of U.S. Southern Command only the previous November, overseeing an area that encompasses the Caribbean and waters off South America. Such postings typically last three years to four years.

    Oct. 16

    Trump said the U.S. struck a sixth suspected drug-carrying vessel in the Caribbean, killing two people and leaving two survivors who were on the semisubmersible craft.

    The president later said the survivors would be sent to Ecuador and Colombia, their home countries, “for detention and prosecution.” Repatriation avoided questions about what their legal status would have been in the U.S. justice system.

    Oct. 17

    The U.S. military attacked a seventh vessel that Hegseth said was carrying “substantial amounts of narcotics” and associated with a Colombian rebel group, the National Liberation Army, or ELN. Three people are killed.

    Oct. 20

    Washington Rep. Adam Smith, top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, called for a hearing on the boat strikes.

    “Never before in my over 20 years on the committee can I recall seeing a combatant commander leave their post this early and amid such turmoil,” Smith said in a statement of Holsey’s impending departure. “I have also never seen such a staggering lack of transparency on behalf of an Administration and the Department to meaningfully inform Congress on the use of lethal military force.”

    Oct. 21

    Hegseth said the U.S. military launched its eighth strike against an alleged drug-carrying vessel, killing two people in the eastern Pacific.

    The attack was an expansion of the military’s targeting area to the waters off South America where much of the cocaine from the world’s largest producers is smuggled.

    Oct. 22

    Hegseth announced the ninth strike, another in the eastern Pacific, saying three men are killed.

    Oct. 24

    Hegseth ordered the U.S. military’s most advanced aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, to the region in a significant escalation of military firepower.

    Oct. 24

    Hegseth said the military conducted the 10th strike on a suspected drug-running boat, leaving six people dead.

    Oct. 27

    Hegseth said three more strikes were carried out in the eastern Pacific, killing 14 people and leaving one survivor.

    Hegseth said Mexican authorities “assumed responsibility for coordinating the rescue” of the sole survivor, who was presumed dead after Mexico suspended its search.

    Oct. 29

    Hegseth said the U.S. military carried out another strike on a boat he said was carrying drugs in the eastern Pacific, killing all four people aboard in the 14th attack.

    Oct. 29

    Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the administration briefed Republicans, but not Democrats, on the boat strikes.

    The Senate at the time was facing a potential vote on a war powers resolution that would have prohibited strikes in or near Venezuela without congressional approval.

    Oct. 31

    U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk called for an investigation into the strikes, in what appeared to be the first such condemnation of its kind from a U.N. organization.

    Ravina Shamdasani, a spokeswoman for Türk’s office, relayed his message at a briefing: “The U.S. must halt such attacks and take all measures necessary to prevent the extrajudicial killing of people aboard these boats.”

    Nov. 1

    Hegseth announced the 15th known strike, saying three people were killed.

    Nov. 4

    In the 16th known strike, Hegseth posted on social media that two people were killed aboard a vessel in the eastern Pacific.

    Nov. 6

    Hegseth announced the 17th known strike, which killed three people.

    Senate Republicans voted to reject legislation that would have limited Trump’s ability to order an attack on Venezuelan soil without congressional authorization. Lawmakers from both parties had demanded more information on the strikes, but Republicans appeared more willing to give Trump leeway to continue his buildup of naval forces.

    Nov. 9

    The U.S. military struck two vessels in the eastern Pacific, killing six people, according to an announcement from Hegseth the following day.

    Nov. 10

    The 20th known strike on a boat accused of transporting drugs killed four people in the Caribbean, according to a social media post from the U.S. military’s Southern Command.

    Nov. 11

    Venezuela’s government launched what it said was a “massive” mobilization of troops and volunteers for two days of exercises prompted by the U.S. military buildup.

    Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López asserted that Venezuela’s military was “stronger than ever in its unity, morale and equipment.”

    Nov. 15

    Three people were killed after the U.S. military conducted its 21st strike on an alleged drug-smuggling boat in the eastern Pacific, according to a post from Southern Command a day later.

    Nov. 16

    The Ford arrived in the Caribbean, a major moment in the Trump administration’s show of force.

    The aircraft carrier’s arrival brought the total number of troops in the region to around 12,000 on nearly a dozen Navy ships in what Hegseth said was “Operation Southern Spear.”

    Nov. 16

    Trump said the U.S. ” may be having some discussions ” with Maduro and “Venezuela would like to talk,” without offering details.

    “I’ll talk to anybody,” Trump said. “We’ll see what happens.”

    Dec. 4

    Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley appeared for closed-door classified briefings at the Capitol as lawmakers began investigating the strikes. The investigation started after reports that Bradley ordered a follow-on attack that killed the survivors of the first strike on Sept. 2 to comply with Hegseth’s demands.

    Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., later told reporters that “Bradley was very clear that he was given no such order, to give no quarter or to kill them all.”

    Democrats said they found the video of the entire attack disturbing.

    Smith said the survivors were “basically two shirtless people clinging to the bow of a capsized and inoperable boat, drifting in the water – until the missiles come and kill them.”

    Dec. 4

    Four people were killed in the 22nd strike on an alleged drug-smuggling boat in the eastern Pacific, according to a post from Southern Command.

    Dec. 10

    The U.S. seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela after the ship left that country with about 2 million barrels of heavy crude.

    Attorney General Pam Bondi said the tanker was involved in “an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations.” Venezuela’s government said the seizure was “a blatant theft and an act of international piracy.”

    Dec. 15

    The U.S. military struck three alleged drug-smuggling boats, killing eight people, in the eastern Pacific Ocean, Southern Command announced.

    Dec. 16

    Hegseth said the Pentagon will not publicly release unedited video of the Sept. 2 strike that killed two survivors, even as questions mounted in Congress about the attack and the overall campaign near Venezuela.

    Dec. 16

    Trump said he was ordering a blockade of all “sanctioned oil tankers” going into and out of Venezuela, a move that seemed designed to put a tighter chokehold on the South American country’s oil-dependent economy.

    Trump alleged that Venezuela was using oil to fund drug trafficking, terrorism and other crimes. He pledged to continue the military buildup until Venezuela returned to the U.S. oil, land and assets, though it was unclear why Trump felt the U.S. had a claim.

    Dec. 17

    The U.S. military said it attacked a boat accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing four people.

    House Republicans rejected a pair of Democratic-backed resolutions that would have put a check on Trump’s power to use military force against drug cartels and Venezuela. They were the first votes in the House after Senate Republicans previously voted down similar war powers resolutions.

    Dec. 18

    The U.S. military said it conducted two more strikes against boats that were allegedly smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific, killing five people.

    Dec. 20

    Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the U.S. Coast Guard, with help from the Defense Department, stopped a second oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela.

    Dec. 22

    Trump confirmed that the U.S. Coast Guard was chasing another oil tanker that the administration described as part of the “dark fleet.”

    The U.S. military said it attacked a boat accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing four people.

    Dec. 29

    Trump told reporters that the U.S. struck a facility where boats accused of carrying drugs “load up.” He declined to say whether the U.S. military or the CIA carried out the strike on the dock or where it occurred. He did not confirm it happened in Venezuela.

    The U.S. military said it attacked a boat accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing two people.

    Dec. 30

    The CIA was behind the drone strike at a docking area believed to have been used by Venezuelan drug cartels, according to two people familiar with details of the classified operation who requested anonymity to discuss it.

    It was the first known direct operation on Venezuelan soil since the U.S. began strikes in September. Venezuelan officials have not acknowledged the strike.

    Dec. 30

    The U.S. military struck three more boats that were allegedly smuggling drugs, killing three people in the first boat while people from the other two boats jumped overboard and may have survived, Southern Command announced the following day.

    Dec. 31

    The U.S. imposed sanctions on four companies operating in Venezuela’s oil sector and designated four additional oil tankers as blocked property and part of the larger shadow fleet that was evading U.S. sanctions on Venezuela.

    Dec. 31

    The U.S. military said it attacked two more boats, killing five people who were allegedly smuggling drugs along known trafficking routes.

    Jan. 1, 2026

    Maduro, in an interview on state television that aired on New Year’s Day, said Venezuela was open to negotiating an agreement with the United States to combat drug trafficking. He declined to comment on the CIA-led strike and reiterated that the U.S. wanted to force a government change in Venezuela and gain access to its vast oil reserves.

    Jan. 3

    The U.S. conducted a “large-scale strike” across Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, captured Maduro and Flores and flew them out of the country. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Maduro and Flores had been indicted in the Southern District of New York. Maduro was accused of leading a “a corrupt, illegitimate government that, for decades, has leveraged government power to protect and promote illegal activity, including drug trafficking.”

    ___

    Garcia Cano reported from Caracas, Venezuela.

    Copyright © 2026 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

    [ad_2]

    AP

    Source link

  • US strikes Venezuela and says its leader, Maduro, has been captured and flown out of country: LIVE

    [ad_1]

    CARACAS, Venezuela — The United States hit Venezuela with a “large-scale strike” early Saturday and said its president, Nicolás Maduro, had been captured and flown out of the country after months of stepped-up pressure by Washington – an extraordinary nighttime operation announced by President Donald Trump on social media hours after the attack.

    Multiple explosions rang out and low-flying aircraft swept through Caracas, the capital, as Maduro’s government immediately accused the United States of attacking civilian and military installations. The Venezuelan government called it an “imperialist attack” and urged citizens to take to the streets.

    It was not immediately clear who was running the country, and Maduro’s whereabouts were not immediately known. Trump announced the developments on Truth Social shortly after 4:30 a.m. ET. Under Venezuelan law the vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, would take power. There was no confirmation that had happened, though she did issue a statement after the strike.

    President Donald Trump says Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife have been captured.

    “We do not know the whereabouts of President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores,” Rodriguez said. “We demand proof of life.”

    Maduro, Trump said, “has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country. This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement. Details to follow.” He set a news conference for later Saturday morning.

    The legal implications of the strike under U.S. law were not immediately clear. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, posted on X that he had spoken with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who briefed him on the strike. Rubio told Lee that Maduro “has been arrested by U.S. personnel to stand trial on criminal charges in the United States.”

    The White House did not immediately respond to queries on where Maduro and his wife were being flown to. Maduro was indicted in March 2020 on “narco-terrorism” conspiracy charges in the Southern District of New York.

    Maduro last appeared on state television Friday while meeting with a delegation of Chinese officials in Caracas.

    The explosions in Caracas, Venezuela’s capital, early on the third day of 2026 – at least seven blasts – sent people rushing into the streets, while others took to social media to report hearing and seeing the explosions. It was not immediately clear if there were casualties on either side. The attack itself lasted less than 30 minutes and it was unclear if more actions lay ahead, though Trump said in his post that the strikes were carried out “successfully.”

    The Federal Aviation Administration issued a ban on U.S. commercial flights in Venezuelan airspace because of “ongoing military activity” ahead of the explosions.

    The strike came after the Trump administration spent months escalating pressure on Maduro. The CIA was behind a drone strike last week at a docking area believed to have been used by Venezuelan drug cartels – the first known direct operation on Venezuelan soil since the U.S. began strikes in September.

    For months, Trump had threatened that he could soon order strikes on targets on Venezuelan land following months of attacks on boats accused of carrying drugs. Maduro has decried the U.S. military operations as a thinly veiled effort to oust him from power.

    Some streets in Caracas fill up

    Armed individuals and uniformed members of a civilian militia took to the streets of a Caracas neighborhood long considered a stronghold of the ruling party. But in other areas of the city, the streets remained empty hours after the attack. Parts of the city remained without power, but vehicles moved freely.

    Video obtained from Caracas and an unidentified coastal city showed tracers and smoke clouding the landscape sky as repeated muted explosions illuminated the night sky. Other footage showed an urban landscape with cars passing on a highway as blasts illuminated the hills behind them. Unintelligible conversation could be heard in the background. The videos were verified by The Associated Press.

    Smoke could be seen rising from the hangar of a military base in Caracas, while another military installation in the capital was without power.

    “The whole ground shook. This is horrible. We heard explosions and planes,” said Carmen Hidalgo, a 21-year-old office worker, her voice trembling. She was walking briskly with two relatives, returning from a birthday party. “We felt like the air was hitting us.”

    Venezuela’s government responded to the attack with a call to action. “People to the streets!” it said in a statement. “The Bolivarian Government calls on all social and political forces in the country to activate mobilization plans and repudiate this imperialist attack.”

    The statement added that Maduro had “ordered all national defense plans to be implemented” and declared “a state of external disturbance.” That state of emergency gives him the power to suspend people’s rights and expand the role of the armed forces.

    The website of the U.S. Embassy in Venezuela, a post that has been closed since 2019, issued a warning to American citizens in the country, saying it was “aware of reports of explosions in and around Caracas.”

    “U.S. citizens in Venezuela should shelter in place,” the warning said.

    Reaction emerges slowly

    Inquiries to the Pentagon and U.S. Southern Command since Trump’s social media post went unanswered. The FAA warned all commercial and private U.S. pilots that the airspace over Venezuela and the small island nation of Curacao, just off the coast of the country to the north, was off limits “due to safety-of-flight risks associated with ongoing military activity.”

    U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, posted his potential concerns, reflecting a view from the right flank in the Congress. “I look forward to learning what, if anything, might constitutionally justify this action in the absence of a declaration of war or authorization for the use of military force,” Lee said on X.

    It was not clear if the U.S. Congress had been officially notified of the strikes.

    The Armed Services committees in both houses of Congress, which have jurisdiction over military matters, have not been notified by the administration of any actions, according to a person familiar with the matter and granted anonymity to discuss it.

    Lawmakers from both political parties in Congress have raised deep reservations and flat out objections to the U.S. attacks on boats suspected of drug smuggling on boats near the Venezuelan coast and the Congress has not specifically approved an authorization for the use of military force for such operations in the region.

    Regional reaction was not immediately forthcoming in the early hours of Saturday. Cuba, however, a supporter of the Maduro government and a longtime adversary of the United States, called for the international community to respond to what president Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez called “the criminal attack.” “Our zone of peace is being brutally assaulted,” he said on X. Iran’s Foreign Ministry also condemned the strikes.

    President Javier Milei of Argentina praised the claim by his close ally, Trump, that Maduro had been captured with a political slogan he often deploys to celebrate right-wing advances: “Long live freedom, dammit!”

    The U.S. military has been attacking boats in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean since early September. As of Friday, the number of known boat strikes is 35 and the number of people killed is at least 115, according to numbers announced by the Trump administration.

    They followed a major buildup of American forces in the waters off South America, including the arrival in November of the nation’s most advanced aircraft carrier, which added thousands more troops to what was already the largest military presence in the region in generations.

    Trump has justified the boat strikes as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the U.S. and asserted that the U.S. is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels.

    ___

    Toropin and AP journalist Lisa Mascaro reported from Washington.

    Copyright © 2026 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

    [ad_2]

    AP

    Source link

  • Trump says US ‘hit’ facility along shore where he says alleged drug boats ‘load up’

    [ad_1]

    PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump has indicated that the U.S. has “hit” a dock facility along a shore as he wages a pressure campaign on Venezuela, but the U.S. offered few details.

    Trump initially seemed to confirm a strike in what appeared to be an impromptu radio interview Friday, and when questioned Monday by reporters about “an explosion in Venezuela,” he said the U.S. struck a facility where boats accused of carrying drugs “load up.”

    “There was a major explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs,” Trump said as he met in Florida with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “They load the boats up with drugs, so we hit all the boats and now we hit the area. It’s the implementation area. There’s where they implement. And that is no longer around.”

    It is part of an escalating effort to target what the Trump administration says are boats smuggling drugs bound for the United States. It moves closer to shore strikes that so far have been carried out by the military in international waters in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean.

    Trump declined to say if the U.S. military or the CIA carried out the latest strike or where it occurred. He did not confirm it happened in Venezuela.

    “I know exactly who it was, but I don’t want to say who it was. But you know it was along the shore,” Trump said.

    Trump first referenced the strike on Friday, when he called radio host John Catsimatidis during a program on WABC radio and discussed the U.S. strikes on alleged drug-carrying boats. The attacks have killed at least 105 people in 29 known strikes since early September.

    “I don’t know if you read or saw, they have a big plant or a big facility where they send the, you know, where the ships come from,” Trump said. “Two nights ago, we knocked that out. So, we hit them very hard.”

    Trump did not offer any additional details in the interview.

    Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth or one of the U.S. military’s social media accounts has in the past typically announced every boat strike in a post on X, but there has been no post of any strike on a facility.

    The Pentagon on Monday referred questions to the White House, which did not immediately respond to a message seeking more details. The press office of Venezuela’s government did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump’s statement.

    Trump for months has suggested he may conduct land strikes in South America, in Venezuela or possibly another country, and in recent weeks has been saying the U.S. would move beyond striking boats and would strike on land “soon.”

    In October, Trump confirmed he had authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela. The agency did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment Monday.

    Along with the strikes, the U.S. has sent warships, built up military forces in the region, seized two oil tankers and pursued a third.

    The Trump administration has said it is in “armed conflict” with drug cartels and seeking to stop the flow of narcotics into the United States.

    Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has insisted the real purpose of the U.S. military operations is to force him from power.

    White House chief of staff Susie Wiles said in an interview with Vanity Fair published this month that Trump “wants to keep on blowing boats up until Maduro ‘cries uncle.’”

    Price reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Konstantin Toropin in Washington and Regina Garcia Cano in Caracas, Venezuela, contributed to this report.

    Copyright © 2025 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

    [ad_2]

    AP

    Source link

  • Trump says US strike on vessel in Caribbean targeted Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang, killed 11

    [ad_1]

    WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Tuesday the U.S. has carried out a strike in the southern Caribbean against a drug-carrying vessel that departed from Venezuela and was operated by the Tren de Aragua gang.

    The president said in a social media posting that 11 people were killed in the rare U.S. military operation in the Americas, a dramatic escalation in the Republican administration’s effort to stem the flow of narcotics from Latin America. Trump also posted a short video clip of a small vessel appearing to explode in flames.

    “The strike occurred while the terrorists were at sea in International waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States,” Trump said on Truth Social. “No U.S. Forces were harmed in this strike. Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America.”

    The video appears to show a long, multi-engine speedboat traveling at sea when a bright flash of light bursts over the craft. The boat is then briefly seen covered in flames.

    The video, which is largely in black and white, is not clear enough to see if the craft is carrying as many as 11 people. The video also did not show any large or clear stashes of drugs inside the boat.

    Tren de Aragua originated more than a decade ago at an infamously lawless prison with hardened criminals in Venezuela’s central state of Aragua. The gang has expanded in recent years as more than 7.7 million Venezuelans fled economic turmoil and migrated to other Latin American countries or the U.S.

    Trump and administration officials have repeatedly blamed the gang for being at the root of the violence and illicit drug dealing that plague some cities. And the president on Tuesday repeated his claim – contradicted by a declassified U.S. intelligence assessment – that Tren de Aragua is operating under Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s control.

    The White House did not immediately explain how the military determined that those aboard the vessel were Tren de Aragua members. The size of the gang is unclear, as is the extent to which its actions are coordinated across state lines and national borders.

    What Maduro had to say

    After Trump announced the strike, Venezuelan state television showed Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores walking the streets of his childhood neighborhood. A television presenter said Maduro was “bathing in patriotic love” as he interacted with supporters.

    “In the face of imperialist threats, God (is) with us,” Maduro told supporters.

    Maduro did not address the strike directly, but charged that the U.S. is “coming for Venezuela’s riches,” including oil and gas. The South American country has the world’s largest proven oil reserves.

    “From the neighborhoods of Caracas … I tell you, there will be peace in Venezuela, with sovereignty,” he said.

    Communications Minister Freddy Ñáñez questioned the veracity of the video. “Based on the video provided, it is very likely that it was created using Artificial Intelligence,” he said on his Telegram account. He couldn’t say what tools would have been used to create the video, but said it showed an “almost cartoonish animation, rather than a realistic depiction of an explosion.”

    Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio first announced the strike earlier Tuesday, shortly before Rubio left on a trip to Mexico and Ecuador for talks on drug cartels, security, tariffs and more.

    In a brief exchange with reporters before departing Miami for Mexico City, Rubio deferred questions about the specifics of the strike to the Pentagon. He said the drugs on the vessel were likely headed to Trinidad or elsewhere in the Caribbean.

    For years, Rubio has spoken out against Maduro and other Latin American leftist governments and supported opposition leaders. In 2018, during Trump’s first term, Rubio told Univision there was a “strong argument” to be made for the use of the U.S. military in Venezuela. He’s also accused Venezuelan officials of aiding drug traffickers.

    Asked if Trump would carry out operations on Venezuelan soil, Rubio was opaque. “We’re going to take on drug cartels wherever they are and wherever they’re operating against the interests of the United States,” he said.

    US sent destroyers to waters off Venezuela

    The operation came after the U.S. announced plans last month to boost its maritime force in the waters off Venezuela to combat threats from Latin American drug cartels.

    Maduro’s government has responded by deploying troops along Venezuela’s coast and border with neighboring Colombia, as well as by urging Venezuelans to enlist in a civilian militia.

    Maduro has insisted that the U.S. is building a false drug-trafficking narrative to try to force him out of office. He and other government officials have repeatedly cited a United Nations report that they say shows traffickers attempt to move only 5% of the cocaine produced in Colombia through Venezuela. Landlocked Bolivia and Colombia, with access to the Pacific and Caribbean, are the world’s top cocaine producers.

    The latest U.N. World Drug Report shows that various countries in South America, including Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, reported larger cocaine seizures in 2022 than in 2021, but it does not assign Venezuela the outsize role that the White House has in recent months.

    “The impact of increased cocaine trafficking has been felt in Ecuador in particular, which has seen a wave of lethal violence in recent years linked to both local and transnational crime groups, most notably from Mexico and the Balkan countries,” according to the report.

    Maduro on Monday told reporters he “would constitutionally declare a republic in arms” if his country were attacked by U.S. forces deployed to the Caribbean.

    ___

    Garcia Cano reported from Mexico City. AP journalists Matthew Lee in Mexico City, Jorge Rueda in Caracas, Venezuela, Adriana Gomez Licon in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and Sagar Meghani in Washington contributed reporting.

    Copyright © 2025 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

    [ad_2]

    AP

    Source link