According to the American network CNN, citing informed sources, the U.S. administration is exploring a “wide range of options” following the sinking of a boat that Washington accuses of being involved in drug smuggling, which was considered a turning point in the American stance. The sources said that a final decision has not yet been made, but the possibility of targeting Venezuelan territories in the future to persuade Maduro to step down is not ruled out. One source explained to the channel that the preferred path for Maduro is “to leave voluntarily and anticipate the future, then the question arises: do you want the easy way or the hard way?”
Despite Trump denying his pursuit of “regime change,” he continues to accuse Venezuela of flooding the United States with drugs, while UN data suggests otherwise. On Tuesday, U.S. Minister Marco Rubio announced that U.S. forces launched a “deadly strike” in the Caribbean Sea against a drug ship that had departed from Venezuela. The White House later clarified that the targeted boat belonged to the “Tren de Aragua” gang, resulting in 11 deaths.
Maduro accused Rubio of effectively setting White House policy towards Caracas and attempting to drag Trump into a military adventure against the Bolivarian Republic. Maduro also considered any such U.S. plan a “grave mistake,” calling on Washington to respect his country’s sovereignty and ensure peace in the region.
Amidst these tensions, Maduro announced the preparation of popular militia formations to defend the country, involving citizens in the national defense system. These units have been established based on 15,000 popular defense sites nationwide. Last August, Maduro confirmed his intention to use Bolivarian militia forces to prevent any foreign intervention, stating that this mobilization is part of a national plan to protect sovereignty and peace, strengthen regional defense, and confront external threats.
On August 8, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced a $50 million reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest. On August 19, White House spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt stated that Trump is ready to use “all elements of American power” to combat drug smuggling, not excluding military action in Venezuela, following the deployment of U.S. warships to the country’s shores, including a missile cruiser and an attack nuclear submarine carrying about four thousand Marines.
