U.S. Intensifies Strikes Near Venezuela; Trump Claims Maduro Offered to Cut Ties With U.S. Rivals

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – In a significant and rapid escalation of its military campaign in the Caribbean, the United States has conducted another lethal strike on a vessel alleged to be smuggling narcotics, taking survivors into custody for the first time, an operation President Donald Trump confirmed occurred as he simultaneously revealed that Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro had offered major concessions to ease soaring tensions.

The developments come amid a massive and ongoing U.S. military buildup in the region, the authorization of covert CIA operations inside Venezuela, and a growing political battle in Washington over the legality of the president's actions, which some lawmakers fear could drag the nation into a full-fledged war.

The latest strike, which took place on Thursday, targeted what President Trump described as a "drug-carrying submarine built specifically for the transportation of massive amounts of drugs," according to Agence France-Presse and Fox News.

Speaking at the White House on Friday, Trump stated, "We attacked the submarine, and that was a drug-carrying submarine... Just so you understand, this was not an innocent group of people."

This account was echoed by a U.S. Navy official who told Fox News the vessel was a submersible, a type of craft long associated with the drug trade that sits just below the water line. The strike marked the sixth known attack on suspected smuggling boats near Venezuela since the Trump administration's campaign began in September, as reported by The Washington Post and Fox News.

The unprecedented campaign of U.S. strikes has so far resulted in the deaths of at least 27 people prior to this latest incident, AFP reported, bringing the total death toll to at least 28, according to Fox News. While Washington says its Caribbean campaign is dealing a decisive blow to drug trafficking, it has not provided public evidence that those killed were indeed drug smugglers, a point highlighted by AFP.

What sets Thursday's operation apart is the presence of survivors. Media outlets including CBS and NBC first reported, citing unidentified U.S. officials, that the attack left survivors on board, a detail later confirmed by multiple sources.

A Navy official informed Fox News that two survivors were taken into U.S. military custody and were being held aboard an American warship in the region. The Washington Post, citing people familiar with the matter, also reported that U.S. forces took multiple people into custody.

This is the first known instance of survivors since the U.S. began its campaign of lethal strikes, raising significant new legal questions about the Trump administration's operations.

International law requires the protection of wounded combatants when military forces are able, The Washington Post noted, and the capture of survivors places a new focus on the administration's assertion that it is in an "armed conflict" with drug traffickers, whom President Trump and other officials have described as terrorists. 

It was not immediately clear what would be done with the detained individuals or what their next destination would be, Fox News reported. Secretary of State Marco Rubio did not dispute the existence of survivors but stated that details would be forthcoming.

The strike occurred against the backdrop of a dramatic increase in U.S. military force in the Caribbean, the largest deployment in the region in decades.

According to a detailed analysis by The New York Times, approximately 10,000 U.S. troops are now at sea and on shore. This force is intended to bolster what the administration publicly calls a counter-drug and counter-terrorism mission.

However, The New York Times reported that officials have privately made clear that the primary objective of the troop increase is to drive Venezuela’s authoritarian leader, Nicolás Maduro, from power.

The U.S. government has long stated it does not recognize Maduro as a legitimate head of state, instead accusing him of heading a drug cartel, a position reported by Fox News and AFP. In August, the Trump administration increased the reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest to $50 million.

The military assets deployed are formidable and highly visible. About half of the 10,000-strong force is aboard eight U.S. Navy warships, which includes approximately 2,200 Marines equipped with fighter jets, The New York Times reported.

About a tenth of all deployed U.S. naval power is now concentrated in the region, a reallocation described by analysts cited in The Washington Post as a "seismic" reordering of assets. This naval contingent includes a submarine and a fleet of destroyers. The other half of the force is primarily based at former U.S. military installations in Puerto Rico, which have been transformed into hubs for air operations.

At Rafael Hernández Airport in Aguadilla, the U.S. has established a center for armed drone flights, even building a new bunker last month to store ammunition for the drones, according to satellite imagery analysis by The New York Times. Imagery from the site shows an MQ-9 Reaper drone, a platform capable of both reconnaissance and targeted strikes.

On the other side of the island, at the former Roosevelt Roads Naval Station, more than a dozen military aircraft are based, including Marine Corps F-35 stealth fighter jets, helicopters, and at least one Air Force AC-130 gunship.

Further deployments were noted in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where a small airport on St. Croix hosts three Air Force refueling aircraft and a new radar system used to monitor airspace, The New York Times detailed.

This buildup has been accompanied by a dramatic show of aerial force.

As reported by The New York Times and The Washington Post, at least two, and possibly three, B-52 strategic bombers from Louisiana flew for several hours off the Venezuelan coast earlier in the week. A senior U.S. official described this to The New York Times as "a show of force." While the bombers remained in international airspace, they operated within an air traffic control region managed by Venezuela.

These aircraft are capable of carrying dozens of precision-guided bombs. Further ratcheting up the pressure, the U.S. military’s elite Special Operations aviation unit has been conducting helicopter flights over the ocean between Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago.

A visual analysis by The Washington Post, based on visuals circulated on social media, suggests that helicopters from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, renowned for complex operations such as the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, have flown within 90 miles of Venezuela's coastline.

The aircraft identified included MH-6 Little Bird attack helicopters and MH-60 Black Hawks. A senior adviser with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Mark Cancian, told The Washington Post that the inclusion of Little Birds suggests preparations for potential missions that could involve U.S. boots on the ground.

Supporting this covert presence, The New York Times and The Washington Post identified the M.V. Ocean Trader, a vessel reconfigured to serve as a stealthy Special Operations headquarters, operating in the area. Satellite imagery placed the ship about 85 miles northeast of Venezuela.

As the military pressure mounts, President Trump has added new layers of complexity to the situation. On Wednesday, he confirmed reports that he had authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations inside Venezuela, telling reporters he did so because the country had “emptied their prisons into the United States of America” and was a source of drugs flowing into the U.S., according to The New York Times and Fox News.

When asked directly if the CIA had the authority to "take out" Maduro, the president refused to answer. Then, on Friday, Trump was asked at the White House about reports that Caracas had floated de-escalation plans. In scathing remarks reported by AFP and Fox News, Trump confirmed that Maduro had offered major concessions.

"He has offered everything, you're right," Trump said. "You know why? Because he doesn't want to fuck around with the United States."

According to an earlier report from The New York Times cited by Fox News, Maduro had proposed offering U.S. companies access to current and future oil and gold projects in Venezuela with "preferential" contracts.

The offer reportedly included conditions that Venezuela would cut down on energy and mining contracts with U.S. adversaries like China, Iran, and Russia. However, the Trump administration wrote off the offer, stating it was no longer interested in diplomatic engagement.

In a conflicting statement, Venezuela's vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, on Thursday denied a Miami Herald report that she had negotiated with Washington on a plan to oust Maduro, AFP reported.

The escalating U.S. campaign has drawn concern from Venezuela's neighbors and fueled speculation that the administration’s ultimate goal is regime change. In response to the perceived U.S. threats, Venezuela has deployed 17,000 troops to Tachira state, which borders Colombia, and has also stationed forces in southern Amazonas state and multiple coastal areas, AFP reported.

The U.S. actions have also entangled other nations. Police in Trinidad and Tobago are investigating whether two of its citizens were killed in a U.S. strike on Wednesday, and Colombian President Gustavo Petro has stated he believes Colombians have also died in the attacks, according to AFP.

In Washington, the administration's legally questionable military campaign is facing a growing challenge in Congress. A bipartisan group of senators is moving to force a vote on legislation that would bar the United States from engaging in hostilities inside Venezuela without explicit congressional authorization.

The New York Times reported that Senators Tim Kaine and Adam B. Schiff, both Democrats, have joined with Republican Senator Rand Paul on a resolution that would block the president from carrying out any military action "within or against" Venezuela unless authorized by a declaration of war or specific authorization for use of military force by Congress. Their push is rooted in the 1973 War Powers Act, which was aimed at limiting a president’s power to enter an armed conflict without congressional consent.

The senators expressed alarm that the authorization of covert CIA action could be a prelude to a wider war, particularly after President Trump suggested this week he might consider a ground war. "We are certainly looking at land now," Trump told reporters, "because we’ve got the sea very well under control." Senator Paul, a libertarian who routinely opposes U.S. overseas military involvement, stated, "The American people do not want to be dragged into endless war with Venezuela without public debate or a vote," as reported by The New York Times.

This new legislative measure faces long odds, given that a similar, though broader, measure to halt the boat strikes was blocked in the Senate last week, with only two Republicans voting to take it up. Lawmakers have expressed frustration over a lack of information from the administration.

Senator Kaine described the Senate’s understanding of the boat strikes as “a complete black hole,” adding that the administration had provided no legal justification for the hits. According to The New York Times, the White House has so far not briefed key members of Congress about the newly authorized CIA operations in Venezuela, as is required by law.

The Trump administration has argued that its actions are legal and necessary, contending that the flow of drugs and migrants into the United States constitutes an imminent threat that justifies the use of lethal force.

A White House official told The New York Times that the president had acted "within the laws of armed conflict" and was "prepared to use every element of American power to stop drugs from flooding into our country."

Adding to the intrigue surrounding the rapidly evolving situation, the admiral overseeing the naval strikes in the Caribbean announced he will step down. The head of U.S. Southern Command, Adm. Alvin Holsey, is retiring just a year into his tenure, AFP and The Washington Post reported.

No reason was given for his departure, which follows the dismissal of multiple top U.S. military officers in recent months. Meanwhile, the Pentagon announced a new counter-narcotics Joint Task Force within U.S. Southern Command. War Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that the task force aims to "crush the cartels, stop the poison and keep America safe," according to Fox News. The message, Hegseth said, is "If you traffic drugs toward our shores, we will stop you cold."