The White House refuted media reports suggesting that President Donald Trump’s administration was poised to strike military targets within Venezuela.
Although Trump has signaled for weeks that he’s prepared to launch land operations against Venezuela, the White House cast doubt on the new media reports.
“Unnamed sources don’t know what they’re talking about,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a Friday statement to Fox News. “Any announcements regarding Venezuela policy would come directly from the President.”
The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that the Trump administration had identified military targets within Venezuela that are being used to transport drugs, although the news outlet said that Trump hadn’t formalized a decision on whether he would launch land strikes against these targets.
Trump told reporters Friday on Air Force One a decision hadn’t been made about whether he would strike military targets within Venezuela, Bloomberg News reported.
Additionally, the Miami Herald reported Friday that the administration had decided to conduct strikes against these military installations within Venezuela that could come “in a matter of days or even hours.”
Both the Journal and the Miami Herald cited anonymous sources familiar with the plans.
The Herald reported that the pending strikes were part of a larger effort the Trump administration is initiating to crack down on the Cartel de los Soles, which Attorney General Pam Bondi has said Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro heads up.
The Trump administration does not recognize Maduro as a legitimate head of state, and the administration has increased pressure to remove him from power.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
