U.S. launches strikes inside Venezuela as Trump escalates pressure on Maduro, officials tell CBS News

U.S. officials said Trump approved the land strikes days before they were carried out, with military planners initially considering Christmas Day before prioritising separate airstrikes against ISIS targets in Nigeria. The operation was later delayed by weather, as the military sought conditions that would support mission success.

In recent weeks, the U.S. has seized two oil tankers off Venezuela and carried out more than 30 strikes on boats the administration says were transporting drugs, killing more than 110 people since early September. Trump also said in late December that the U.S. had “knocked out” a “big facility” linked to drug trafficking, describing it as “the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs.”

The Trump administration has accused Maduro of drug trafficking and of working with gangs designated as terrorist organisations, allegations the Venezuelan leader denies. On Christmas Eve, Trump declined to outline his objective but warned that if Maduro “plays tough, it’ll be the last time he’ll ever be able to play tough.”

Trump has previously said it would be “smart” for Maduro to leave power, adding that it was “up to him what he wants to do.” Maduro, meanwhile, said this week that he is open to talks with the U.S. on drug trafficking, oil and migration issues “wherever they want to whenever they want.”

Source: CBS News.