Trump had signaled a ground operation: The world's largest warship has arrived in the region

U.S. President Donald Trump has sent the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world's largest aircraft carrier, to join warships patrolling off the coast of Venezuela. The ship, along with other warships in the region and more than a thousand specially trained marines, has assumed patrol duties in the seas near Venezuela.

THEY ATTACKED A SPEEDBOAT WITH F-35S

F-35 aircraft attached to the ship struck a speedboat allegedly carrying drugs, resulting in the deaths of all crew members on board. This was the eighth U.S. airstrike against a "drug courier" vessel off the coast of Venezuela.

INVASION WARNING FROM VENEZUELA

Although the U.S. defines the operations as "counter-narcotics," Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has clearly stated that Washington is preparing for an invasion of his country. Maduro accuses the U.S. of "inventing a new war" and reacted to Washington's justification of targeting Venezuela by labeling it as terrorist cartels.

PREPARATIONS FOR A GROUND OPERATION

Under the instructions of U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford departed from the Mediterranean and reached the Caribbean on Friday. The Pentagon announced that the ship could prepare for operations against ground targets by positioning itself around Venezuela.

AIRSTRIKES TARGETING COCAINE PRODUCTION

According to CNN, the U.S. plans to target cocaine production facilities and smuggling routes in Venezuela. However, it is not yet clear when this plan will be implemented. President Trump states that the operations are considered legitimate because Venezuelan officials are defined as "terrorist cartels."

Trump had also announced that he had tasked the CIA in Venezuela. Chatham House researcher Christopher Sabatini assessed the U.S. military buildup as an attempt to intimidate the Maduro administration. According to Sabatini, Washington aims to create a disintegration within the administration by intimidating the military leaders surrounding Maduro.

The U.S. administration maintains that its operations in the region are being conducted against drug trafficking. However, at least 43 people have died in recent airstrikes, and these events have led to many comments questioning Washington's true objective. In the latest airstrike, "six drug terrorists" were killed, and it was reported that the targeted vessel belonged to the Tren de Aragua criminal organization in Venezuela.

News Source: 12punto