Washington [US], November 2: US President Donald Trump denied on Friday he had decided to strike inside Venezuela as part of a military campaign against drug cartels.
"There are reports that you are considering strikes within Venezuela. Is that true?" a reporter asked Trump on Air Force One as the president flew to Florida for the weekend, to which Trump replied "no." When pressed again on whether a decision had been made, he said: "No, it's not true." The Miami Herald and the Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter, recently reported that US strikes on Venezuela could come soon, targeting military facilities allegedly used for drug smuggling.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticized the Miami Herald for its reporting. On X, he said that the newspaper's sources had "tricked" it into publishing a "fake story."
The reports caused unrest in the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago, which lies just off the coast of Venezuela. Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar called on the population to remain calm. "I have no report about any imminent strike anywhere in the region," she told reporters in a video shared on X.
The prime minister had welcomed US strikes on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro accused Persad-Bissessar of wanting to turn the island nation into an "aircraft carrier" for the US empire. (DPA)
Source:Qatar Tribune
