Information: US ready to strike Venezuela – within hours
Donald Trump has made the decision to strike militarily against Venezuela, sources tell Miami Herald.
The attack could take place from the air within a few days or even hours, the newspaper writes.
Now President Maduro is asking Russia, Iran and China for help.
US President Donald Trump has escalated the war against the drug cartels in Venezuela.
After blowing up alleged drug shipments in international waters, the White House has now decided to strike inside Venezuela, according to Miami Harald.
The US military has also significantly increased its presence off the coast of Venezuela as part of an attempt to stop the drug trade linked to the regime in Caracas.
Several targets have now been identified. At the same time, President Nicolas Maduro, who the US accuses of being a dictator, is said to be on the move.
– Maduro is about to fall into a trap and may soon discover that he cannot flee the country even if he decides to. What is even worse for him is that there is now more than one general willing to capture and hand him over, says a source.
Skeptical of attack
The White House has raised the reward for information leading to Maduro's arrest to $50 million. At the same time, $25 million is being offered for the arrest of one of his henchmen.
On his way to Air Force One, Trump says he has not yet decided whether to strike Venezuela, Bloomberg reporter Hadriana Lowenkron reports
But President Nicolas Maduro has already picked up the phone and called Russia, China and Iran to ask for help, the Washington Post reports.
According to the newspaper, he has requested radar equipment, missiles and the ability to repair aircraft.
He has also asked Chinese President Xi Jinping and “expanded military cooperation”.
Andrés Rivarola Puntigliano, a professor of Latin American studies at Stockholm University, is skeptical that the US would strike Venezuela.
But he sees a clear reason why Trump has targeted Maduro.
“He is the head of this regime and has been in power for a long time. He is the one who gives a face to the Venezuelan regime. The US believes that if they get rid of him, they can achieve a change of power. But I don’t think the system is so dependent on Maduro. There is a system and a power apparatus in which the military is very involved,” he says.
He believes that Trump is primarily interested in oil.
– Oil is important. Absolutely. And it is this product that has allowed Venezuela to gain a special position. But I also believe that the United States would like to remove Russian and Chinese influence from Latin America.Trump has made it very clear that he wants to try to eliminate competition from other major powers in the region.
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