The military tensions between the United States and Venezuela continue to grow.

As the WLT Report previously reported, the U.S. Military conducted a strike on a Venezuelan drug boat on Tuesday, resulting in 11 smugglers being killed.

In response, Venezuela flew two military fighter jets over the Caribbean, where U.S. naval vessels are currently stationed.

Now, President Trump has revealed he’s open to the idea of striking drug cartels inside Venezuela.

CNN reported more details on the potential airstrike:

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President Donald Trump is weighing a multitude of options for carrying out military strikes against drug cartels operating in Venezuela, including potentially hitting targets inside the country as part of a broader strategy aimed at weakening leader Nicolas Maduro, according to multiple sources briefed on the administration’s plans.

Tuesday’s deadly strike on an alleged drug boat departing Venezuela was a direct reflection of those options, sources said, and marked a significant escalation in the Trump administration’s campaign against drug cartels, many of which it’s designated as terrorist groups. Multiple sources told CNN Tuesday’s strike was just the beginning of a much larger effort to rid the region of narcotics trafficking and potentially dislodge Maduro from power.

Asked by a reporter on Friday if he would like to see regime change in Venezuela, Trump said, “We’re not talking about that.”

“But we are talking about the fact that [Venezuela] had an election, which was a very strange election, to put it mildly,” Trump said, referring to last year’s presidential race in Venezuela marred by accusations of electoral fraud.

The US has moved substantial military firepower into the Caribbean in recent weeks, a move meant in part to be a signal to Maduro, according to multiple White House officials.

Ships armed with Tomahawk missiles, an attack submarine, a range of aircraft and more than 4,000 US sailors and Marines are now all positioned near Venezuela. Two White House officials told CNN 10 advanced F-35 fighter jets are also being sent to Puerto Rico, where a Marine unit is currently conducting amphibious landing training exercises.

CBS News reported President Trump shared that if Venezuelan warplanes put U.S. Naval ships in dangerous situations, then those planes will be shot down:

For the second time in two days, Venezuela has flown military aircraft in the vicinity of the USS Jason Dunham in international waters near South America, multiple Defense Department officials confirmed to CBS News Friday, describing the action as turning into a “game of chicken.”

The aircraft, which one Defense Department official said were F-16 fighter jets, flew over the Dunham sometime overnight Thursday. It was unknown if the aircraft was armed.

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The Dunham, an Aegis guided-missile destroyer, did not engage, the officials said. The aircraft was within weapons-range for both the aircraft and the ship, the officials added.

This comes after CBS News reported Thursday that two F-16 fighter jets also flew over the Dunham earlier that day. The Pentagon later confirmed that incident, describing it in a statement as a “highly provocative move” that “was designed to interfere with our counter narco-terror operations.”

The Dunham is among a flotilla of U.S. warships dispatched to the region in recent weeks that the Pentagon says have been deployed to target criminal organizations and narco-terrorism.

“I would say they’re going to be in trouble,” President Trump had told reporters Friday in response to a question of what could happen if Venezuela were to fly jets over U.S. Navy vessels again.

“If they fly in a dangerous position, I would say that…you or your captains can make the decision as to what they want to do,” Mr. Trump said while addressing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.
 

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