The U.S. has confirmed it has carried out military and maritime strikes on Venezuela in and around Caracas and the country’s northern seacoast. More detailed information has yet to be released, but President Trump has long threatened land action against Venezuela and its drug lord leader, Nicolás Maduro.
Ironically — or perhaps not — Maduro on Friday had sent word from his roving vehicle (he’s on the move to avoid being taken out) that he was ready to negotiate over oil and drug issues. It appears that Trump has responded by saying, in effect, “Here’s my opening argument.”
The strike also comes after Trump warned Iran that, should it carry out massacres of its protesting citizens, he would respond, saying something like U.S. forces are “locked and loaded” and ready to take action.
The dramatic 2 a.m. strike, Venezuelan time, on Saturday morning also sends a message around the globe that Trump will stick to his word and that he has the necessary wherewithal to get people to listen, primarily dictators like Maduro and other bad actors across the globe. In the past week, he has also threatened that all hell would break loose if Hamas reneges on its agreement to disarm.
