Trump administration plans to hit airports and ports in Venezuela
The President Donald Trump administration is preparing a military operation to increase pressure against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, whom he accused of organizing drug trafficking. According to The Wall Street Journal, Washington is considering targeting airports and naval bases that are allegedly used in drug shipments.
The President Donald Trump administration aims to increase the pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, whom he accuses of organizing drug trafficking against the US.
Speaking to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), American officials familiar with the issue said the White House was preparing airstrikes against targets in Venezuela for this purpose, "drug cartels and the Maduro regime's sphere of influence."
Destinations include airports and sea bases
One of the officials said that the targets in question include Venezuelan naval bases and airports, including runways thought to be used for illegal drug shipments.
According to the report, Trump, who signaled the attacks on land targets in Venezuela a week ago, has not yet made his final decision, but the targets have already been set.
White House Spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement on the subject, “President Trump clearly conveyed his message to Maduro: Stop sending drugs and criminals to our country. The president is ready to use all the resources at America's disposal to stop the flow of drugs," he said.
Venezuela's Russian-made air defense systems are in operation
The WSJ pointed out that modern air defense systems, including numerous Russian-built systems, are included in the inventory of the Venezuelan army.
It is estimated that Venezuela has acquired four to six Russian-made S-300 air defense missile systems. According to experts, these systems and portable anti-aircraft weapons have the ability to detect and shoot down American warplanes.
The news also included information that the US Air Force has recently intensified its flights near the country's borders in order to map Venezuela's air defense systems.
Making a statement last week, Maduro said that Venezuela has about 5,000 Russian-made portable Igla-S air defense missile systems and that they were placed in "key air defense positions".
On the other hand, according to the data of flight tracking services, a Russian military plane under US sanctions landed in Caracas last weekend.
US increased military presence in the Caribbean
Since the beginning of September, the US military has launched a series of attacks on boats allegedly carrying drugs in the Caribbean Sea. While about 40 people lost their lives as a result of these attacks, the Pentagon announced that some of the dead were Venezuelan citizens.
Last week, Trump sent an aircraft carrier mission group accompanied by attack ships to the Caribbean.
Prior to the attacks on possible land targets, the Trump administration has launched a campaign aimed at presenting Maduro as a “leader of a drug trafficking and terrorist organization” aimed at drowning the United States in drugs.
Maduro, on the other hand, rejects these accusations and argues that the main goal of the USA is to seize the country's natural resources, including oil, natural gas and gold.
The President of Venezuela announced that he mobilized 15 thousand soldiers over these developments.