Trump Officials Rule Out Venezuela Ground Troops Deployment
Washington provoked worldwide condemnation last Saturday after special operations personnel conducted a raid in Caracas to extract Maduro and his spouse, Cilia Flores. Both individuals subsequently faced indictment in New York on narcotics trafficking allegations and entered not guilty pleas.
Venezuelan authorities characterized the mission as an "imperialist attack," while Trump justified the action citing security imperatives and referenced the Monroe Doctrine—a 19th-century policy positioning Latin America within Washington's control zone. Trump subsequently indicated readiness to dispatch additional military assets and "do a second strike" should interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez refuse alignment with American demands.
During a confidential Senate intelligence session Wednesday, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio informed legislators that ground deployment remains off the table, Politico and Stars and Stripes reported, citing attendees present at the classified meeting.
Officials clarified, however, that American naval assets—comprising approximately a dozen warships alongside roughly 15,000 service members—would maintain their current positions surrounding Venezuela for an indefinite duration.
"We don't anticipate boots on the ground. That is not the administration's objective, it is not their expectation," House Speaker Mike Johnson stated, describing Maduro's abduction as a singular mission.
The closed-door session occurred amid escalating bellicose rhetoric from Trump claiming to safeguard Western Hemisphere interests. Post-Caracas operation, he revived proposals to acquire Greenland from Denmark and issued potential military warnings targeting Mexico, Colombia, and Cuba.
Addressing journalists following the briefing, Hegseth declined specifics regarding future Venezuelan deployments but confirmed continued military "leverage," highlighting Wednesday's confiscation of two petroleum tankers—including one bearing Russian registration—under an embargo targeting Venezuelan crude exports.
The US Senate prepares to conduct Thursday balloting on cross-party war powers legislation designed to prevent additional Venezuelan military operations absent congressional authorization, with parallel measures under development concerning Cuba, Mexico, Colombia, Nigeria, and Greenland.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
