US Poised To Strike Venezuelan Military Bases, Possibly Within Hours

The United States is preparing to launch strikes on Venezuelan military installations as President Donald Trump intensifies efforts to dismantle dictator Nicolás Maduro’s narcoterror network, senior sources told The New York Post on Friday.

The operation, expected to take place within days or even hours, aims to cripple the Cartel de los Soles, a powerful drug-trafficking organization embedded within the Venezuelan armed forces.

According to a source close to the White House, the strikes would target key military sites that shield the cartel’s cocaine trafficking routes and criminal operations. U.S. officials accuse Cartel de los Soles of smuggling roughly 500 tons of cocaine each year to the United States and Europe, working with Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua, Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, and other transnational criminal groups.

President Trump first deployed warships to waters surrounding Venezuela in August, beginning with seven vessels carrying 4,500 troops. That force has since expanded to around 10,000 troops, now including an aircraft carrier. “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 said when the deployment was first announced.

Since then, U.S. forces have conducted 13 successful strikes on at least 14 drug boats, eliminating roughly 57 narcoterrorists, officials said Friday. Earlier missions targeted traffickers at sea, but the next phase will focus on striking the leadership structure on land, according to the Miami Herald, which first reported the development.

In recent weeks, the Pentagon has twice dispatched B-52 bombers to fly near Venezuela’s coast in what officials described as “show of force” missions—sending a clear warning to the Maduro regime.

While it remains unclear whether Maduro himself will be a direct target, American officials have long signaled that his hold on power is nearing its end. Attorney General Pam Bondi has called Maduro “one of the world’s biggest drug traffickers,” citing his extensive ties to organized crime and the national security threat he poses.

Earlier this year, Bondi doubled the Justice Department’s reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest to a record $50 million—twice the amount once placed on Osama bin Laden’s head. Other top regime figures, including Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López, each face U.S. bounties of up to $25 million.