Former U.S. President Donald Trump has confirmed reports that he authorised the CIA to conduct covert operations inside Venezuela, a revelation that has drawn sharp condemnation from President Nicolás Maduro and his government.
The disclosure follows a series of U.S. military strikes on alleged drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean, which have killed at least 27 people in recent weeks. United Nations human rights experts have described the operations as possible “extrajudicial executions.”
Speaking at the White House, Trump said Washington “is looking at land” as it considers expanding its anti-narcotics campaign in the region.
Maduro, whose presidency remains contested after disputed elections, responded in a televised address urging peace and denouncing U.S. interference.
“No to regime change,” he said, drawing parallels with “the failed wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya.”
According to The New York Times, Trump’s directive allows the CIA to act independently or alongside the U.S. military in Venezuela — though it remains unclear whether such missions are already underway.
Pressed by reporters on the CIA’s role, Trump said his authorisation was based on two concerns: “They [Venezuela] have emptied their prisons into the United States,” and the need to combat “a lot of drugs coming in from Venezuela.” He declined to say whether the goal was to remove Maduro, calling it “a ridiculous question.”
In the most recent strike near Venezuela’s coast, six people were killed when a suspected drug vessel was hit. On Truth Social, Trump claimed intelligence confirmed the boat was linked to “narcoterrorist networks.”
Venezuelan officials have denounced the operations as acts of aggression. Foreign Minister Yván Gil accused Washington of pursuing “a policy of threat and harassment” through the CIA and military deployments in the Caribbean.
Maduro has since ordered military exercises in Caracas and neighbouring Miranda state, mobilising troops, police, and civilian militias “to defend the homeland.”
Trump has dispatched eight warships, a nuclear-powered submarine, and fighter jets to the region, saying the move is part of a campaign against drug trafficking.
A leaked memo to U.S. lawmakers indicated the administration now considers itself in a “non-international armed conflict” with drug cartels.
U.S. officials have long accused Maduro and senior Venezuelan military figures of involvement in the so-called Cartel of the Suns and allegations Maduro denies.
Mick Mulroy, a former CIA paramilitary officer, told the BBC that a presidential finding is required for such covert actions, describing the move as “a substantial escalation” in U.S. efforts.
“Perhaps a real-life Sicario,” he said, referencing the 2015 film about clandestine U.S. operations against drug cartels.
