Washington [US]: United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday confirmed that he had authorised the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to conduct covert operations in Venezuela, escalating tensions between Washington and Caracas following a series of US air and missile strikes on Venezuelan boats in the Caribbean Sea.
Speaking at a White House press conference alongside senior law enforcement officials, Trump also said his administration was considering land-based military operations inside Venezuela to curb what he described as cross-border drug trafficking and prisoner transfers into the US.
Trump confirms CIA authorisation
Responding to a question about a New York Times report on CIA operations, Trump said, “I authorised [them] for two reasons, really. Number one, they have emptied their prisons into the United States of America.”
He continued, “The other thing was Venezuela’s role in drug-trafficking. We have a lot of drugs coming in from Venezuela — a lot of the Venezuelan drugs come in through the sea. So you get to see that. But we’re going to stop them by land also.”
The statement marks the first time Trump has publicly acknowledged covert CIA operations in Venezuela. While he offered few specifics, his comments followed multiple US drone and missile strikes on small Venezuelan vessels since early September, which have reportedly killed at least 27 people.
Caracas slams ‘violation of international law’
The Venezuelan government swiftly condemned Trump’s remarks, accusing Washington of violating international law and the UN Charter.
“The purpose of US actions is to create legitimacy for an operation to change the regime in Venezuela, with the ultimate goal of taking control of the country’s resources,” the Maduro administration said in a strongly worded statement.
President Nicolas Maduro, speaking at a televised meeting of the National Council for Sovereignty and Peace, likened the CIA authorisation to America’s involvement in past regime-change wars.
“No to regime change that reminds us so much of the overthrows in the failed eternal wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and so on,” he said, drawing parallels to earlier US interventions.
Questions over regime change
At the same White House briefing, Trump was asked whether the CIA had been granted authority to “take out” Maduro. He avoided a direct response, saying, “Oh, I don’t want to answer a question like that. That’s a ridiculous question for me to be given.”
After a brief pause, Trump added, “Not really a ridiculous question, but wouldn’t it be a ridiculous question for me to answer? But I think Venezuela’s feeling heat.”
Escalating conflict in the Caribbean
Since September 2, the Trump administration has launched at least five known strikes on boats off Venezuela’s coast, with the most recent on Tuesday killing six people. Trump himself posted a video of the latest strike on social media, showing a missile destroying a small vessel.
The US claims the targeted boats were “narco-terrorist” vessels carrying narcotics to the US. However, no public evidence has been presented to substantiate these allegations.
“When they’re loaded up with drugs, they’re fair game,” Trump told reporters when questioned about the legality of the bombings. “There was fentanyl dust all over the boat after those bombs go off.”
Legal experts and former defence officials have criticised the campaign, warning that it could constitute extrajudicial killings and a breach of international law.
Trump invokes wartime powers
Since returning to office, Trump has increasingly invoked wartime powers under historical laws such as the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, claiming Venezuela orchestrated an “invasion” of migrants and criminals into the United States.
A declassified intelligence report in May, however, found no evidence directly linking President Maduro to transnational criminal groups such as Tren de Aragua, contradicting Trump’s claims.
Nonetheless, Trump alleged on Wednesday that Venezuela had sent both “prisoners” and “people with mental health conditions” across the border to destabilise the US. “Many countries have done it, but not like Venezuela. They were down and dirty,” he said.
Preparing for land operations
In his closing remarks, Trump hinted that the US may soon expand operations from sea to land, describing the campaign against Venezuela’s alleged drug trade as “a success”.
“We’ve almost totally stopped it by sea. Now, we’ll stop it by land,” he said, adding that “even fishermen have decided to stay off the waters.”
He concluded, “We are certainly looking at land now because we’ve got the sea very well under control.”
Trump’s latest comments mark a significant escalation in US-Venezuela tensions and have sparked fears of potential military confrontation in the region. Analysts warn that the authorisation of CIA activity could serve as the first step toward regime-change operations, a strategy long criticised by the international community.