US Considers Strikes on Venezuelan Drug Cartels as F-35 Warplanes Deployed
The United States has deployed F-35 stealth fighter jets to Puerto Rico amid reports that President Donald Trump is considering military strikes against drug cartels operating in Venezuela.
Ten of the advanced warplanes are said to be part of Washington’s expanded operations targeting Latin American cartels it labels as “narco-terrorist” organisations.
According to U.S. media, the Trump administration is weighing direct strikes on trafficking groups inside Venezuela—a move that could sharply escalate tensions with President Nicolás Maduro’s government.
Maduro, in response, urged Washington to “abandon its plan of violent regime change” and respect Venezuela’s sovereignty. He warned that any attack would spark an “armed struggle,” vowing to mobilise the country’s 340,000 soldiers along with reservists and militia forces.
Trump denied pursuing regime change but cast doubt on the legitimacy of Venezuela’s last presidential election.
On Thursday, the Pentagon accused Caracas of a “highly provocative” act after two Venezuelan F-16s reportedly flew near the guided-missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham. Trump warned that US forces had authorization to shoot down any Venezuelan jets deemed a threat.
The situation follows a US strike earlier in the week, when American forces blew up a speedboat in the Caribbean allegedly belonging to Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan criminal group. Trump said 11 people were killed, while Caracas condemned the attack as an “extrajudicial killing.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the aggressive approach, arguing that drug cartels pose a direct threat. “What will stop them is when you blow them up, when you get rid of them,” he said during a visit to Mexico.
