President Donald Trump on Thanksgiving night threatened the U.S. could “very soon” attack suspected drug runners on Venezuelan soil.
Trump made the comments during a Thanksgiving address to U.S. servicemembers around the globe. He thanked the Air Force for its work in attacking ships in the Caribbean Sea his administration said is trafficking drugs.
“It’s about 85% stopped by sea,” Trump said, “and we’ll be starting to stop them by land.”
He added: “Also, the land is easier, but that’s going to start very soon.”
For months, the U.S. has ramped up its military presence in the Caribbean and intensified strikes against boats the Trump administration has accused of trafficking drugs into the country, though they have provided no evidence for the claims.
Since September, the military has targeted 21 vessels, killing 82 people.
The U.S. fleet in the Caribbean includes its most advanced warship, the USS Gerald R. Ford, along with fighter jets, missile destroyers and thousands of troops in tow.
Experts have said the Ford is overkill for targeting small vessels, but it has the capacity to launch attacks deep inland while also effective in intimidation.
As “Operation Southern Spear” takes shape, Trump has justified the military action by saying the country is in an armed conflict with drug cartels, claiming the boats are being operated by “narco-terrorists.”
Latin American leaders, the U.N human rights chiefs and lawmakers in the U.S. have all pressed for evidence to back up Trump’s claims.
“This is the anchor of what it means to have U.S. military power once again in Latin America,” Elizabeth Dickinson, the International Crisis Group’s senior analyst for the Andes region, told NBC News. “And it has raised a lot of anxieties in Venezuela but also throughout the region. I think everyone is watching this with sort of bated breath to see just how willing the U.S. is to really use military force.”
Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro has accused the U.S. of “fabricating” a war to overthrow him.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said the U.S. does not recognize him as Venezuela’s president. Maduro, who is widely accused of stealing the country’s election last year, has been accused of openly working with drug traffickers.
