THE Donald Trump they seem to be preparing for critical days around the Venezuela. According to sources cited by CBS, on Wednesday (12.11.2025) meetings were held where top military officials presented to the American president at the White House a range of options for potential operations in Venezuela, including land strikes;.
This is a particularly significant development as regional tensions between the US and Venezuela continue to rise. Among the officials who participated in the briefing for him Donald Trump he was the minister of war Pete Hegseththe head of the Armed Forces Dan Kaneas well as other high-ranking military officers. However, no final decision has been made so far, two sources told CBS News.
The White House did not comment on the information, while the Pentagon declined to make statements.
Growing military presence around Venezuela
According to the same sources, the US intelligence community provided data and assessments to prepare potential operations. Secret Service Director Tulsi Gabbard did not attend the meetings because she was returning from a trip abroad, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio was in Canada for the G7 summit.
Amidst this climate of military preparation, an important development occurred earlier in the week: the aircraft carrier battle group USS Gerald Ford entered the area of responsibility of the US Southern Command, which is responsible for the Caribbean and South American region. There it already meets destroyers, fighter aircraft and special operations units.
An American campaign already underway
In the past two months, the US military has carried out at least 21 strikes against boats that the US says were transporting drugs from South America to the US. Twenty operations have been confirmed, with one operation in late October targeting two vessels simultaneously.
The toll is heavy: at least 80 people, identified as traffickers, have been killed. Two survivors were repatriated to Ecuador and Colombia, with one released to his home country due to lack of evidence.
At a defense briefing Wednesday in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Pete Hegseth took a hard line, declaring: “My advice to foreign terrorist organizations is simple: don’t get on a boat. If you’re transporting drugs to poison the American people — whether you’re terrorists or traffickers — we’re going to find you and kill you.”
This belligerent rhetoric, combined with the strengthening of the American military presence in the region, portends a period of intense tension around Venezuela.