Trump administration authorized lethal CIA covert operations in Venezuela

The Donald Trump administration authorized the CIA to conduct “lethal covert operations” in Venezuela as part of its regime change efforts against Caracas.

Some US officials confirmed to the New York Times a new presidential finding that allows the CIA to conduct lethal covert operations against the Maduro government and carry out other unspecified operations in the Caribbean region.

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump also confirmed that he had approved the CIA’s covert operations in Venezuela, without going into detail.

Trump justified the measure to reporters by claiming that the Maduro government was sending “criminals and people from mental institutions” across the southern border into the US, along with drug trafficking through Caribbean routes, and reiterated that ground attacks would also continue.

The Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded by condemning Trump’s “aggressive and exaggerated” statements and his admission of CIA-led destabilization plans.

Last week, at an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, Venezuela condemned the ongoing regime change efforts, including possible US military attacks in the near future, which use “lies” about Caracas’s involvement in drug trafficking as a pretext.

The heightened military threats followed Washington’s suspension of all diplomatic relations with Caracas on October 2, as well as reports that Trump had grown tired of Maduro’s refusal to step down and Venezuela’s rejection of “narco-terrorism” allegations as baseless and politically motivated.

The Maduro government recently announced that it had thwarted a “false flag operation” allegedly organized by local far-right groups to plant explosives at the US embassy to provoke a conflict with Washington.

This warning was dismissed by US officials, who stated that the embassy building has been empty since 2019, when Caracas severed diplomatic relations.

Washington has also rejected Maduro’s calls for dialogue and de-escalation. The Venezuelan armed forces have initiated defense drills and have been deployed across the country to protect borders, airports, ports, and critical infrastructure and institutions.

Early last year, Venezuelan authorities arrested dozens of individuals allegedly linked to a far-right plot to assassinate President Maduro and accused the CIA and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) of supporting the conspiracy.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe is said to be working with regime change advocates, including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House aide Stephen Miller, to shape the new aggressive strategy against the Venezuelan government.

This approach involves expanding the US military presence in the Caribbean and potentially striking targets within Venezuela in the next phase of Washington’s “counternarcotics” mission.

Since mid-August, the White House has deployed at least eight warships, aircraft, and an estimated 10,000 troops in the Caribbean under a supposed mission against drug trafficking.

On Wednesday, two US B-52 bombers were spotted maneuvering in Venezuelan airspace by open-source aircraft tracking websites.

The military deployment followed the US placing a $50 million bounty on Maduro earlier this year, alleging he is the leader of the “Cartel de los Soles” and has ties to the “Tren de Aragua” gang, which the US designated as a “terrorist organization.”

Washington has not supported its allegations with any court-tested evidence. Reports from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the DEA indicate that Venezuela is not a significant producer or transporter of drugs.

Most drugs destined for the US originate in Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia, reaching the US via Pacific routes and Central America.

Since September, the US Southern Command has attacked at least five boats in the Caribbean near the Venezuelan coast, killing 27 people and claiming they were transporting drugs to the US and belonged to terrorist organizations.

Trinidad and Tobago, located off the coast of Venezuela, is investigating whether two of the deceased were its citizens.