From airstrikes to assassination, Trump weighs options against Venezuela’s Maduro: Report

US President Donald Trump is considering a range of military options against Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, which range from airstrikes on strategic sites to special forces missions to capture or kill him, according to The New York Times.

Trump has not yet made a decision, and it remains uncertain whether he will approve any attacks, The Times reported.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has taken the lead in shaping the Trump administration’s policy on Venezuela.

Rubio, along with Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, has privately told Trump that Maduro should be ousted, according to The Times.

Previously, Trump stated that Maduro’s days as Venezuela’s ruler were numbered. He also said that strikes on land would be the next step in his campaign against boats in international waters in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean under the guise of an anti-narcotics operation.

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Critics of Trump have argued that the so-called campaign against drug traffickers is a pretext to launch attacks on Maduro in a bid to remove him — and possibly occupy the country’s vast oil resources. The administration has declared Maduro the head of a narco-terrorist group and placed a $50 million bounty on him.

Airstrikes, invasion, assassination — options on the table

According to The Times, Trump’s officials have presented him with three options.

The first involves airstrikes on strategic facilities in Venezuela, such as military installations, with the aim of collapsing the armed forces’ support for Maduro.

If the military withdraws its backing, Maduro could attempt to flee abroad or relocate to a secure location within the country, making him vulnerable during such movements.

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The second option involves deploying special forces —such as the Army’s Delta Force or the Navy’s SEAL Team 6— to capture or kill Maduro.

But assassinating Maduro would contradict the United States’ longstanding formal policy against targeting heads of state or government.

Nonetheless, the Trump administration may seek to justify such a move by designating Maduro as a legitimate target. It has already laid the groundwork for this by declaring him the head of the Cartel de los Soles, a purported drug trafficking network labelled a terrorist organisation.

The third option would include a complex plan for US forces to invade Venezuela and seize control of airfields and oil fields.

Trump concerned about risk: Report

The Times cited officials as saying that Trump has been reluctant to approve operations that could endanger US troops or result in an embarrassing failure.

The second and third options —a special forces raid to capture or kill Maduro and the seizure of Venezuelan airfields and oil fields— would carry greater risks for American personnel.

Even as Trump weighs his options, the Department of Justice is reportedly working to firm up the legal justification for any potential action.

A decision is expected to be at least 10 days away and will likely be made only after the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford arrives in the Caribbean, the newspaper reported.

In addition to the carrier, Trump has deployed around 10,000 troops, several warships, and fighter aircraft to the region.