US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth warned Wednesday that Washington will carry out more military operations against drug cartels in the region following Tuesday's bombing of a drug-laden vessel from Venezuela, according to statements reported by the US network Fox News.
Hegseth stated that US forces have “assets in the air, at sea, on ships,” and stressed that the mission is a priority for national security. “We will not stop with this bombardment. Anyone trafficking in those waters is a narco-terrorist who will face the same fate,” the Pentagon chief declared.
According to Hegseth, the United States had identified the people traveling aboard the attacked vessel, linking them to the Aragua Train, an organization designated by Washington as a terrorist group. The Secretary of Defense indicated that the organization is trying to"poison the country with drugs" and asserted that the deceased were involved in drug trafficking activities.
“The only person who should be worried is Nicolás Maduro, who is effectively the head of a narco-state, was not actually elected, and is being held by the United States with a $50 million bounty,” Hegseth said. “We know he is involved in drug trafficking activities that have directly impacted the American people. China and other countries will have opinions, and they’re entitled to them. What we have in the Caribbean is a clear demonstration of military might.”
The Pentagon chief added that “President Donald Trump has demonstrated, whether it’s on the Southwest border, dealing with the Houthis and freedom of navigation, or Operation Midnight Hammer in Iran, that the precise application of American power can have enormous impacts and change dynamics globally and regionally. So, as Nicolás Maduro considers whether he wants to remain a drug trafficker, he has some decisions to make, and that’s all I’ll say about that.”
Hegseth said U.S. authorities “have sealed the border” and stressed that President Trump is willing to “go on the offensive in ways that others haven’t.” He added that the operation sends a signal to groups like the Tren de Aragua and the Cartel del Sol that the United States will not allow such activities in the hemisphere.
The Pentagon chief confirmed the deaths of eleven suspected drug traffickers in the bombing and insisted that it was a warning to the region's cartels. He also downplayed the relationship between China and Venezuela, saying that"the only one who should be worried is Nicolás Maduro," describing him as "the head of a narco-state," and noting that he has a $50 million (about €43 million) bounty on him from the United States.
Asked whether regime change in Venezuela is Washington’s goal, Hegseth responded: “Well, that’s a presidential decision and… We fully understand the accusation, we understand the $50 million reward. Anyone would prefer that he just turn himself in, but that’s a decision that corresponds to the presidential level and we are prepared with all the resources that the U.S. military has.”
Regarding U.S. foreign policy toward Venezuela, Hegseth stated that any potential action toward"regime change" rests in the hands of President Trump.
For his part, dictator Nicolás Maduro accused the Trump administration of seeking “free Venezuelan oil.” Maduro denounced that “imperialism attacks because it invents a story that no one believes,” following Washington’s announcement of the attack on the vessel in the Caribbean, where eleven people identified as “terrorists” by US authorities died.
In Rubio's words, President Donald Trump"has been very clear that he is going to use the full power of America, the full power of the United States, to confront and eradicate these drug cartels, regardless of where they operate from." The official appeared before the media at the Miami airport, before heading off on a two-day official visit to Mexico, where he plans to meet with President Claudia Sheinbaum.
Just hours earlier, Trump had announced from the White House that the US military had"shot down" and "eliminated" a drug-laden vessel that had set sail from a Venezuelan port. In total, according to the president, the operation resulted in the deaths of eleven members of the Tren de Aragua, a group considered by the US government to be a terrorist organization."They operate under the control of Nicolás Maduro, responsible for mass murder, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, and violence in the United States," Trump said through his Truth Social account, accompanying the message with a video released by the Southern Command.
