US Prepared to Strike Venezuelan Military Bases as Trump Cracks Down on Maduro Regime

The United States is poised to launch direct strikes on Venezuelan military bases in a major escalation against the regime of dictator Nicolás Maduro, as President Donald Trump intensifies efforts to dismantle the country’s narcoterrorist infrastructure, according to sources familiar with White House planning.

The operation, which could be carried out within hours or days, is designed to cripple the Cartel de los Soles — a criminal network deeply embedded in the Venezuelan military that has long been accused of coordinating massive cocaine shipments to the United States and Europe. The planned strikes would target military installations that serve as protection for the cartel’s drug routes and leadership.

Sources close to the administration say the goal is to decapitate the command structure of the cartel, which has strong ties to transnational crime groups including Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua and Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel.

Trump began positioning military assets near Venezuela in August, deploying an initial fleet of seven warships and 4,500 troops to the region. That force has since grown to nearly 10,000 troops and now includes an aircraft carrier. In the time since, the U.S. military has carried out 13 maritime strikes, destroying 14 drug-running boats and killing at least 57 suspected narcoterrorists.

“The president is prepared to use every element of American power to stop drugs from flooding into our country and to bring those responsible to justice,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters earlier during the buildup.

While past U.S. actions in the region focused on intercepting traffickers at sea, the new campaign will reportedly shift focus to inland targets — signaling a move to eliminate the regime’s upper echelon.

Over the past two weeks, B-52 bombers have conducted “show of force” flights off Venezuela’s coast, reinforcing the seriousness of the operation. Though officials have not confirmed whether Maduro himself is on the strike list, multiple administration voices have openly declared his days in power are numbered.

Attorney General Pam Bondi has described Maduro as “one of the world’s biggest drug traffickers,” citing his deep entanglement with organized crime and the national security threat he represents.

This summer, the Justice Department doubled its reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest to $50 million — a figure that now exceeds the bounty once placed on Osama bin Laden. Other key regime figures, including Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López, are each subject to $25 million bounties.

With American military pressure mounting and strikes imminent, the Trump administration appears prepared to deliver a decisive blow to the Maduro regime’s criminal empire.