Amid growing fears of US military action in Venezuela, President Donald Trump confirmed on Tuesday that Washington was looking to up the ante against the South American nation, promising military action “very soon”.
“We’re going to start doing those strikes on land as well,” Trump told CNN’s Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
“We know where they live. We know where the bad guys live, and we’re going to start that very soon,” the US president added.
Trump also didn’t stop at Venezuela, threatening to take military action against any country smuggling drugs into the US.
“Anyone who makes it and sells it into our country is under attack,” the US president told reporters after a cabinet meeting, talking about the issue of cocaine coming from Colombia.
Significant escalation
While the US has been conducting strikes against alleged drug vessels for several weeks, military action on Venezuelan territory would mark a major escalation that could potentially develop into a full-blown military conflict.
So far, 83 people have been killed in 22 attacks on suspected drug boats, which Washington has described as a campaign to stem the illegal flow of drugs into the US.
Trump’s assurances on Tuesday that military action on the ground would begin soon echoed his words on Thursday, when he told service members during a Thanksgiving call that strikes on Venezuelan territory would begin “very soon.”
The US president’s comments on Tuesday about the start of military operations in Venezuela are gaining importance in light of his recent order declaring the South American country’s airspace “closed”.
The US president’s comments also come as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faces intense scrutiny for allegedly ordering a follow-up attack on an alleged drug boat that left 11 dead.
US-born Pope calls for calm
Trump’s repeated threats against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolás Maduro, who Washington says leads a drug cartel, have drawn global attention, including from Pope Leo, the first American to lead the Vatican.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday about the Trump administration’s threats to remove Maduro by force, the pope urged Washington to consider alternative ways to achieve its goal.
“It is better to look for ways of dialogue, or perhaps coercion, including economic coercion,” Pope Leo told reporters on his way back from a visit to Turkey and Lebanon.
