The administration of US President Donald Trump has authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela as part of an intensified campaign against the country's leader, Nicolas Maduro, The New York Times noted citing American officials, SİA informs.
This authorization is a new step in a campaign of pressure on Venezuela with the ultimate goal of removing Maduro from power.
According to the newspaper, the US military is already developing options for President Trump, including possible strikes inside Venezuela.
The newspaper says that the scale of the US military buildup in the region is significant: 10,000 troops, eight ships and one submarine.
The US military has already struck at least four civilian vessels off the coast of Venezuela, which, according to the US, were carrying drugs.
The strategy, developed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, is aimed at removing Maduro from power.
The US believes that Maduro heads a Venezuelan cartel network, which allows them to portray his ousting as a counter-drug operation, citing a 2020 indictment by the Justice Department.
Maduro has repeatedly said that the country is facing the most serious threat of invasion from the United States in the last 100 years. Washington accuses the Venezuela of not doing enough to combat drug smuggling.
According to The New York Times, on October 7, Trump curtailed all attempts of a diplomatic settlement of escalating tensions with Venezuela.
The American media noted that the United States may begin to pound drug cartel facilities in Venezuela in the next few weeks.
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