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U.S. Strikes Loom Over Venezuela
The Trump administration is preparing imminent airstrikes on Venezuelan military targets linked to President Nicolas Maduro’s alleged drug-trafficking network, the Cartel de los Soles.
Confrontation and enmity between United States of America and Venezuela. Conflict and stress in the international policy stock photo by Unsplash
The Trump administration has decided to launch attacks on military installations inside Venezuela, with strikes expected at any moment, according to sources who spoke to the Miami Herald, as the United States prepares to advance its campaign against the Soles drug cartel.
The planned attacks, also reported by The Wall Street Journal, aim to destroy facilities used by the cartel that Washington accuses Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and senior regime members of operating. Targets, which could be struck by air within days or hours, are intended to cripple the cartel’s leadership. U.S. officials estimate the group exports about 500 tons of cocaine annually to Europe and the United States.
Sources did not confirm whether Maduro is a target but indicated his options are diminishing. Washington recently doubled the reward for information leading to his arrest to $50 million and offers $25 million for Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López, who face U.S. drug-trafficking charges.
In August, Attorney General Pam Bondi accused Maduro of leading the Cartel de los Soles, a drug network tied to Venezuela’s military and allied with the Tren de Aragua gang, Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, and other criminal groups.
The U.S. military has expanded operations off Venezuela’s coast, assembling a JointTask Force of three destroyers, 4,500 troops, and reconnaissance aircraft in the Caribbean. In September, 10 F-35B fighters and MQ-9 Reaper drones were deployed to Puerto Rico, capable of precision strikes.
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth later ordered the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and its strike group into the region. The force, totaling over 4,000 personnel and 90 combat aircraft, has so far targeted fast boats carrying narcotics, killing 61 suspected traffickers.
With operations extending into coastal and jungle regions, visibility and night maneuvers have become crucial for forces on the ground a reminder of how critical reliable lighting gear can be in tactical environments. Products like the PETZL ARIA 1 RGB, a compact, durable, waterproof headlamp offering white, red, green, and blue modes at 350 lumens in a camo design, demonstrate the kind of rugged equipment often relied upon during such missions.
Analysts believe the buildup could pressure the Maduro regime, though experts say current forces allow only limited air or missile strikes, not a full invasion.
