The White House has recently floated the idea that US military planes will fly leaflets over Caracas to coincide with his birthday on Sunday (today) in a psychological operation to put more pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. According to knowledgeable sources, this operation, which has not yet been authorized, will be aimed at intensifying […]
The White House has recently floated the idea that US military planes will fly leaflets over Caracas to coincide with his birthday on Sunday (today) in a psychological operation to put more pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
According to knowledgeable sources, this operation, which has not yet been authorized, will be aimed at intensifying Washington’s pressure to remove Maduro from power, an approach that has become a concern since the first term of Donald Trump’s presidency in the United States and is a priority among his senior advisers.
In recent months, Trump has deployed a fleet of warships to the Caribbean Sea and thousands of US troops under the pretext of countering drug cartels in the region, an operation that has killed more than 80 people since early September. The Trump administration has dismissed concerns raised by some government lawyers in internal discussions about the legality of killing those who are not enemy forces.
According to the Washington Post, in a notification to Congress and at the same time, the Office of the Legal Counsel claimed that the United States is engaged in a “non-international” armed conflict with “designated terrorist organizations”.
The claim has confused Democratic lawmakers and some Republicans, who have said the administration has not provided convincing evidence that it can execute alleged criminals in international waters instead of detaining and arresting them.
The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also said the notices were expected to include a promise of a $50 million reward for any help leading to Maduro’s arrest and conviction. U.S. authorities increased the reward to $25 million in August, citing a 2020 indictment against him on charges of corruption, drug terrorism and drug trafficking.
The announcements may be made today (Sunday), which is Maduro’s 63rd birthday. The timing appears to be deliberate, according to people familiar with the matter.
Such an operation is designed to put more pressure on Maduro to step down or to embolden opponents of his rule to avoid a direct attack on Venezuela. Trump, who has vowed to avoid new US military adventures, has carried out several airstrikes in Iran, Yemen and now the Caribbean in the first year of his second term.
