CNN: Trump considers direct strikes on targets inside Venezuela

President Donald Trump is considering a variety of options for military strikes against drug cartels operating in Venezuela, including potentially targeting inside the country as part of a broader strategy aimed at weakening the country's dictator Nicolas Maduro. This was reported by the TV channel CNN, citing unnamed sources with knowledge of the administration's plans.

Tuesday's deadly strike on a cartel-linked vessel sailing from Venezuela was a direct reflection of those options, the officials said, and marked a significant escalation in the Trump administration's campaign against drug cartels, many of which are designated terrorist groups.

Numerous sources told CNN that Tuesday's strike was just the beginning of a much larger effort to rid the region of drug trafficking and potentially remove Maduro from power.

In recent weeks, the United States has deployed significant military power to the Caribbean, which a number of White House officials say is partly intended to send a signal to Maduro.

Two White House officials tell CNN that 10 state-of-the-art F-35 fighter jets are also headed to Puerto Rico, where a Marine Corps unit is conducting amphibious assault training.

The Trump administration has taken steps to engage Maduro in its broader anti-drug mission, labeling him a drug terrorist with ties to some of the newly listed cartels and doubling the reward for his arrest to $50 million, according to.

• on January 19, 2025, Axios wrote that the Trump administration wants Maduro to step down as Venezuela's.
• In August, the US increased the reward for information, for information leading to Maduro's arrest, from $25 million to $50 million.
• On August 29, Axios wrote that the US, under the guise of fighting drug trafficking in Venezuela, may try to overthrow the Maduro regime.