President Donald J. Trump has announced that the US military will soon begin conducting land strikes against alleged drug trafficking targets inside Venezuela, marking a significant and volatile escalation of the ongoing conflict with the Nicolás Maduro regime. Speaking at a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Tuesday, the President stated, “We’re going to start doing those strikes on land, too. You know, the land is much easier… and we’re going to start that very soon, too.” This public vow transforms the anti-narcotics campaign from a maritime interdiction effort into a direct, imminent threat of military action on Venezuelan soil.
Shifting Focus from Sea to Land
The President’s comments indicate a strategic shift in “Operation Southern Spear,” the large-scale military campaign that has seen a surge of US naval assets deployed to the Caribbean since August. The initial phase of the operation focused on lethal air and sea strikes against vessels suspected of drug trafficking, resulting in over 80 reported deaths. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who was present at the Cabinet meeting, claimed the naval campaign had been so successful that drug flow by sea was down significantly, creating a “bit of a pause” because it was now “hard to find boats to strike.”
This claimed success now serves as the rationale for expanding the operation inland. President Trump emphasized that the land operations would be easier, claiming, “We know the routes they take. We know everything about them. We know where they live. We know where the bad ones live.” The President’s explicit threat of strikes inside the sovereign territory of Venezuela—a country where the US has explicitly demanded regime change—raises the prospect of the deepest military involvement in Latin America since the 1989 invasion of Panama.
Legal Scrutiny and Congressional Pushback
The President’s announcement comes amid intense scrutiny and mounting accusations regarding the legality and rules of engagement for the maritime strikes. Reports have alleged that a follow-up strike on an alleged drug boat in September killed two survivors of the initial attack, prompting calls for congressional investigation and a bipartisan effort to introduce a War Powers Resolution to block any unauthorized military action in Venezuela.
Trump defended the overall operations, asserting that the targets are “narco-terrorists” who are responsible for the flow of drugs into the United States. He also broadened the threat, warning that the land strikes would not necessarily be limited to Venezuela, stating that “any country” where illicit drugs are produced or trafficked for sale into the US is “subject to attack.” This rhetoric has drawn a sharp rebuke from countries like Colombia, a long-time US ally, whose president warned Trump not to threaten their sovereignty. The immediate start of land strikes, as promised by the President, would likely spark a severe regional crisis.
Footage Charlie Kirk has been shot
Charlie Kirk has been shot
