Top U.S. defense and military officials returned to the White House on Friday for a second consecutive day of deliberations with President Donald Trump centered on potential military action in Venezuela, as U.S. forces in the region prepared for possible attack orders, reports the Washington Post.
Earlier this week, ABC reported U.S. President Donald Trump has been briefed on updated options for potential military operations in Venezuela, after the arrival of the world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R Ford to the waters of the Caribbean.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine and other senior officials briefed the president on military options for the coming days, reports CBS.
Experts say options could range from no action to air strikes on seaports, airports and military facilities. Another option, considered less likely, could be sending in a team of special operations forces to apprehend or kill Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro and his senior advisers, according to ABC.
On Thursday, Maduro called on Trump to avoid an Afghanistan-style “forever war”, as the American military buildup. Speaking to CNN outside the Miraflores presidential palace , Maduro called on Trump to make peace, not war. (Guardian)
After, U.S. Secretary of State Pete Hegseth sought to pile further pressure on Venezuela’s leader, announcing what he called Operation Southern Spear. “The Western Hemisphere is America’s neighborhood – and we will protect it,” Hegseth tweeted. He said the Southern Command mission would defend “our homeland” and secure it from “the drugs that are killing our people.”
The most probable result of external pressure on Venezuela’s regime will not be foreign military intervention ousting Nicolás Maduro, but the creation of fissures within the government that lead to a negotiated exit, argues Benigno Alarcón Deza in Americas Quarterly.
“Suppose external pressure does persuade Maduro or his allies to pursue a negotiated exit. In that case, it is very unlikely to lead to disruptive social conflict, such as large pro- and anti-Maduro factions clashing in the streets. All serious opinion polls estimate that about 80% of Venezuelans oppose the regime, with only around 20% identifying as Chavistas. Moreover, many of those Chavistas do not support Maduro. The small minority still backing Maduro would likely fade into the background rather than incite unrest during a negotiated transition,” according to Alarcón Deza.
But other experts disagree.
Reuters reported that Maduro’s regime had drawn up plans for “a guerrilla-style response” to any US assault. Those plans reportedly envisage “small military units at more than 280 locations carrying out acts of sabotage and other guerrilla tactics” to repel foreign fighters. Another strategy, described as “anarchisation”, would see pro-regime groups including the intelligence services sow chaos on the streets of Caracas “and make Venezuela ungovernable for foreign forces”, according to Reuters. (Guardian)
More Caribbean Theater
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced Thursday a deal with the U.S., underwhich that Mexico’s Navy will be responsible for intercepting the alleged drug vessels in internat
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