According to them, for the second day in a row there were discussions in the White House about a potential military campaign in Venezuela.
Thus, the meeting on November 14 was attended by US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Pentagon head Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Cain and Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller. They discussed whether and how to strike Venezuela.
It is unclear what decision US President Donald Trump made, WP emphasized.
Media interlocutors said that the head of the White House was presented with “many options.” According to them, American pilots are studying the air defense system of Venezuela.
In addition, US authorities are considering the possibility of involving the elite Delta special forces in the operation.
Context
In 2020, the US Department of Justice charged Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and 14 other former and current officials of the country with drug trafficking and corruption.
In August 2025, the White House announced its readiness to “use all elements of power” to stop “the flow of drugs into the country,” in particular to concentrate ships and manpower near Venezuela. Since September, the United States has carried out more than 20 strikes on ships believed to be transporting drugs from Latin America to the United States, CBS News reported Nov. 13. At least 80 people died.
The New York Times wrote that the Trump administration secretly authorized the Central Intelligence Agency to conduct covert operations in Venezuela aimed at eliminating Maduro.
For assistance in the capture of Maduro, the United States is offering a reward of $50 million, which is more than for the capture of “terrorist No. 1” Osama bin Laden.
On November 6, The Atlantic wrote, citing sources in Caracas, that Maduro might agree to a “managed exit” from his position.
On November 11, the US Navy announced that its largest warship, the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, had arrived in the Southern Command area of operations, which covers much of Latin America and the Caribbean. CNN reported that there are about 15 thousand American troops in the Caribbean region. In response to this, Venezuela announced a “mass mobilization.”
Media reported that on November 12, Trump was presented with plans for possible military operations against Venezuela in the coming days. Two days later, Hegseth announced the start of the US military operation “Southern Lance”, aimed against narco-terrorists, but did not say which country he was talking about.
