WASHINGTON, Sept 6 — The United States is not seeking regime change in Venezuela, President Donald Trump said yesterday, even as Washington ordered the deployment of 10 additional stealth fighter jets to reinforce its growing military presence in the Caribbean.
WASHINGTON, Sept 6 — The United States is not seeking regime change in Venezuela, President Donald Trump said yesterday, even as Washington ordered the deployment of 10 additional stealth fighter jets to reinforce its growing military presence in the Caribbean.
“We’re not talking about that, but we are talking about the fact that you had an election which was a very strange election, to put it mildly,” Trump said, referring to Venezuela’s disputed 2024 vote that President Nicolas Maduro claims to have won.
Maduro this week accused Washington of plotting “regime change through military threat.” Speaking on state television, he urged the US to “abandon its plan of violent regime change in Venezuela and across Latin America” and instead respect sovereignty, peace, and independence.
“I respect Trump. None of our differences should lead to military conflict,” Maduro said, stressing Venezuela’s readiness for dialogue.
Trump highlighted his administration’s hardline approach to narcotics trafficking after a US strike on Tuesday sank a Venezuelan boat allegedly carrying drugs, killing 11 people. He is also weighing further strikes, including potential attacks on cartel-linked targets inside Venezuela, CNN reported, citing sources. The White House, Pentagon, and State Department did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.
Fighter jet deployment
Sources confirmed the US will deploy 10 F-35 jets to Puerto Rico to conduct anti-narcotics operations, reinforcing what is already a significant US military buildup in the southern Caribbean. The jets are expected to arrive by late next week.
The Pentagon earlier accused Venezuela of a “highly provocative” incident after two of its fighter jets flew close to a US Navy destroyer on Thursday. Trump warned that any threat would be met with force: “If they do put us in a dangerous position, they’ll be shot down.”
US officials have repeatedly linked Maduro’s government to drug trafficking, with Trump accusing him of running the Tren de Aragua gang, which Washington designated a terrorist organisation in February. Maduro has denied the claim, saying the group was dismantled in a 2023 prison raid.
Justifying the military escalation, Trump compared US overdose deaths to battlefield losses: “Think if you’re in a war and you lose 300,000 … We’re not going to allow it to happen.”
Political backlash
The USS Jason Dunham, a guided missile destroyer, was one of at least seven US warships in the region when Venezuelan F-16s allegedly flew overhead. More than 4,500 US sailors and Marines are currently stationed in the Caribbean, with amphibious and flight drills ongoing in southern Puerto Rico.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has described Maduro as “effectively a kingpin of a narco state,” while Representative Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) criticised Trump’s actions as “lawless.”
“Congress has not declared war on Venezuela or Tren de Aragua, and designating a group as a terrorist organisation does not give any President carte blanche to bypass Congress’s constitutional authority on matters of war and peace,” Omar said.
US officials have yet to clarify the legal grounds for Tuesday’s strike on the Venezuelan vessel or provide evidence linking the crew to Tren de Aragua. Trump, however, claimed without proof that they were members of the group. — Reuters
WASHINGTON, Aug 25 — SpaceX has called off a scheduled test flight for its Starship megarocket on Sunday, citing the need for additional time to address issues, marking yet another setback for Elon Musk’s colossal project following a string of explosive failures.
WASHINGTON, Aug 25 — SpaceX has called off a scheduled test flight for its Starship megarocket on Sunday, citing the need for additional time to address issues, marking yet another setback for Elon Musk’s colossal project following a string of explosive failures.
CARACAS, Aug 25 — Ninety fashion enthusiasts displayed garments made of lace, denim, cotton, satin, and recycled materials in a diverse "battle of outfits" on Saturday at Venezuela’s National Art Gallery in Caracas, defying traditional fashion norms and celebrating their "unique" identities.