President Donald Trump is set to hold a crucial meeting at the White House on Monday evening, focusing on the administration's next steps regarding Venezuela. Sources familiar with the matter revealed to CNN that this meeting reflects the intensified pressure campaign being directed at the South American nation.
Significant members of Trump’s cabinet and national security team are expected to participate in this high-stakes meeting. Attendees include Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, alongside White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller. The meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET in the Oval Office.
This meeting comes at a time when the United States has significantly escalated its military pressure on Venezuela. Recent actions include strikes on suspected drug vessels and a notable buildup of US military assets in the Caribbean. The Pentagon has categorized this enhanced military presence as part of “Operation Southern Spear,” which has seen the deployment of over a dozen warships and approximately 15,000 troops to the region.
Further intensifying the situation, President Trump issued a broad directive over the weekend, warning airlines, pilots, and criminal networks to refrain from entering Venezuelan airspace. While speaking to reporters on Sunday, Trump advised not to read too much into the announcement, yet it underscores the administration's commitment to addressing drug trafficking operations linked to Venezuela.
President Trump also confirmed that he recently held a phone conversation with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, although he did not disclose the content of their discussion. Just last week, the administration formally designated Maduro and his allies as members of a foreign terrorist organization, a move that officials argue will provide the US with expanded military options for potential strikes within Venezuela.
The upcoming Oval Office meeting occurs amid growing scrutiny from lawmakers regarding the legality of US strikes on alleged drug boats in the region. These strikes have reportedly resulted in over 80 fatalities, raising questions, especially since the US is not officially engaged in a war with Venezuela. CNN reported that a follow-up strike was executed on a suspected drug vessel after an initial attack failed to neutralize all individuals on board.
Concerns about the legality of these military actions have been voiced by lawmakers from both political parties. Some have suggested that the strikes could constitute a “war crime.” Maine Senator Angus King, an independent member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, emphasized the gravity of the situation in a recent interview, stating, “If the facts are as alleged, that there was a second strike specifically to kill the survivors in the water — that’s a stone-cold war crime. It’s also murder.”
Senator King indicated that Congress intends to conduct interviews with individuals across the chain of command to ascertain the directives given by the Secretary of Defense and how they were executed. “The question is, what order did the secretary of defense give and how was that executed? We’re going to be talking to people, as I say, all the way up, up to the top of the chain of command and down to the people that actually triggered that attack,” he remarked.
This ongoing situation in Venezuela continues to unfold, with significant implications for US foreign policy and military engagement in the region.