Trump briefed this week on options for military operations in Venezuela
By Kevin Liptak, Zachary Cohen, Jim Sciutto, CNN
(CNN) — President Donald Trump was briefed this week on options for military operations inside Venezuela as he continues to mull a path forward in the country, four sources told CNN.
Trump has yet to decide on how to proceed, and he continues to weigh the risks and benefits of launching a scaled-up campaign. The president has previously voiced reservations about taking military action meant to oust Nicolas Maduro, concerned about whether it would prove effective.
While Wednesday’s briefing included an updated set of options for the president to consider, it did not indicate that he’s closer to making a decision, one of the people said. Another source familiar with the briefing said the options were similar to those that have been discussed within the Pentagon, and some publicly reported, in recent weeks.
The target options – which United States Southern Command has stood up planning cells to develop – are part of an operation dubbed “SOUTHERN SPEAR,” according to a senior US official aware of the planning. They were presented by top officials on Trump’s national security team, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine.
Hegseth announced the operation on X Thursday night, though he did not reveal details.
“Led by Joint Task Force Southern Spear and @SOUTHCOM, this mission defends our Homeland, removes narco-terrorists from our Hemisphere, and secures our Homeland from the drugs that are killing our people. The Western Hemisphere is America’s neighborhood – and we will protect it,” Hegseth wrote.
Southern Command had previously announced an operation called Operation Southern Spear in January. An announcement at the time said it would utilize “long-dwell robotic surface vessels, small robotic interceptor boats, and vertical take-off and landing robotic air vessels” to help with counternarcotics operations.
The Pentagon did not respond to a request for comment on Southern Spear. The White House did not comment on the briefing.
The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford, billed by the US Navy as “the most capable, adaptable, and lethal combat platform in the world,” arrived in the Caribbean this week amid a massive scale-up of US military resources.
Trump has been presented a wide range of options for Venezuela, including air strikes on military or government facilities and drug trafficking routes, or a more direct attempt to take out Maduro. CNN had previously reported that the president was considering plans to target cocaine facilities and drug trafficking routes inside Venezuela.
It’s also possible he decides to forgo any action at all. Administration officials told lawmakers last week that the US didn’t have a legal justification that would support attacks against any land targets – though it is possible they could generate one. And Trump recently told CBS’ “60 Minutes” he was not considering strikes inside Venezuela, despite earlier sounding open to the idea.
And the president has, in meetings, seemed wary of ordering actions that could end in failure or put US troops at risk, according to people familiar with the matter.
This story has been updated with additional reporting.
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