Trump is reportedly preparing to bomb Venezuela

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The United States is preparing to launch strikes against military installations in Venezuela. According to sources cited by the Miami Herald and the Wall Street Journal, a US task force deployed in the Caribbean has been ordered to prepare precision strikes aimed at "decapitating" the Cartel of the Suns, a drug trafficking network that Washington accuses of being run by Nicolás Maduro and several of his close associates.

The destroyer USS Gravely left Trinidad on Thursday, while the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and its air wing of more than 4,000 troops are already patrolling the region. The operation, supported by F-35s based in Puerto Rico and MQ-9 Reaper drones, aims to strike military sites accused of being used for cocaine trafficking, estimated at around 500 tons per year. The targets could be hit "in the coming hours or days."

Washington has stepped up pressure in recent months: the reward for information leading to Maduro's arrest has been doubled to a record $50 million. The United States is also offering $25 million for the capture of Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López, both accused of leading the cartel's operations. In August, the Trump administration designated the Cartel of the Suns and the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua as transnational criminal organizations.

Since then, the U.S. military presence in the Caribbean Sea has increased massively: three destroyers, an amphibious force of 4,500 troops, reconnaissance aircraft, and now a heavily armed aircraft carrier. Analysts believe that these resources are sufficient for targeted strikes, but not for an invasion. "There is not enough combat power to occupy the country, but more than enough to strike," says Mark F. Cancian, an expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

While Washington denies wanting to overthrow Maduro by force, several former U.S. officials are talking about a "Soleimani scenario": eliminating specific targets without getting bogged down in a prolonged war. The shadow of a direct confrontation now hangs over Caracas, with the U.S. Navy standing ready to take action. The Miami Herald

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