Venezuela has described as"belligerent and extravagant" the statements made by U.S. President Donald Trump, in which he publicly admitted to having authorized the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to carry out operations in Venezuelan territory.

In a statement, the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry asserted that Trump's statement constitutes"a very serious violation of international law and the United Nations Charter, and compels the international community to denounce these clearly immoderate and inconceivable statements."

The text also indicates that the country observes "with extreme alarm the use of the CIA, as well as the announced military deployments in the Caribbean, which constitute a policy of aggression, threats, and harassment against Venezuela."

The Foreign Ministry complains that the maneuvers seek a "regime change with the ultimate goal of appropriating Venezuelan oil resources."

This Wednesday it was learned that President Trump authorized the CIA to carry out covert operations in Venezuela and assures that he is studying the possibility of carrying out attacks against "drug trafficking" on land, after assuring that they have almost completely paralyzed the vessels with narcotics.

While Trump was defending missile attacks on vessels linked by his administration to drug trafficking in the southern Caribbean, the president decided to assert that he is considering taking his military campaign to land.

"We've stopped it almost completely at sea. Now we'll stop it on land," he said in the Oval Office, when questioned by reporters about the matter.

Hours earlier, The New York Times reported that the U.S. administration had authorized the CIA to carry out lethal operations in Venezuela and the Caribbean, in an increase in its actions against the government of Nicolás Maduro, with a view to overthrowing him.

According to the newspaper, which cites U.S. officials as sources, the CIA could take covert action against Maduro or his administration, either unilaterally or jointly as part of a broader military operation.

"The new authority would allow the CIA to carry out lethal operations in Venezuela and conduct a variety of operations in the Caribbean," the newspaper reported.

However, it is still unknown whether the agency is already planning any action or whether it is intended as a"contingency measure."

The Times also explained that the CIA has been collaborating for some time with various Latin American governments on security and intelligence issues, including work on drug trafficking. However, it emphasized that this relationship does not allow the Agency to carry out direct lethal operations.

As part of its response, Caracas announced that on Thursday its delegation to the UN will raise the complaint before the Security Council and the Secretary General,"demanding accountability from the United States government and the adoption of urgent measures to prevent a military escalation in the Caribbean."

"The international community must understand that impunity for these acts will have dangerous political consequences that must be stopped immediately," they emphasize in the statement.

In addition, Maduro announced that the 'Independence 200' plan will be launched on Thursday in the states of Táchira, Apure and Amazonas, bordering Colombia, for the"integral defense" of the country.

This news comes at a time when the US military is"planning for a possible escalation, designing alternatives for President Trump to consider, including attacks inside Venezuela," the newspaper notes.

Since mid-August, the United States has maintained some 10,000 troops in the region, most of them at bases in Puerto Rico, as well as a contingent of Marines on amphibious assault ships. In total, it has eight warships and one submarine in the Caribbean.

Since then, it has attacked at least five vessels, which Washington claims were transporting drugs, off international coasts near Venezuela. The operations reportedly killed approximately 27 people.

The Venezuelan regime has described the military actions as a Washington strategy to provoke a change of leadership in Caracas.

Officials who spoke on condition of anonymity also told U.S. media that the real goal is to remove Maduro from the Miraflores Palace and that the strategy on Venezuela is currently led by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe.

Earlier this month, Trump ordered the severing of diplomatic relations with Venezuela after an attempt to explore possible negotiations regarding the Caribbean country's political crisis.

Last August, the US offered $50 million for information leading to Maduro's arrest and conviction on drug trafficking charges.

In 2020, Washington had accused him, during Trump's first presidency, of drug trafficking and terrorism offenses, and in January 2025, the current administration increased the reward for his capture to $25 million, which it later doubled.