The White House doubled down Monday on its authorization of lethal strikes against narco-terrorist groups ahead of a high-level Oval Office meeting amid escalating tensions with Venezuela.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday that President Donald Trump has the authority to use lethal force against members of designated narco-terrorist groups and has directed the military to treat suspected traffickers as lawful targets.
“The president has made it quite clear that if narco-terrorists, again, are trafficking illegal drugs towards the United States, he has the authority to kill them—and that’s what this administration is doing,” Leavitt told reporters.
She added that “many options at the president’s disposal remain on the table.”
Leavitt’s comments come ahead of a scheduled Oval Office meeting Monday afternoon, where top Trump administration officials are set to discuss the administration’s pressure campaign against Venezuela’s socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro.
Officials will include Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller.
Leavitt said the meeting is part of Trump’s “responsibility to ensure that peace is ongoing throughout the world.”
The United States has continued to increase its military presence in the Caribbean and conduct strikes on vessels linked to narco-terrorist groups under “Operation Southern Spear.”
The USS Gerald R. Ford, the U.S. Navy’s most advanced aircraft carrier, arrived in the Caribbean last month to support the operation, which is aimed at disrupting drug trafficking networks heading toward the U.S. More than 15,000 troops and a dozen warships have reportedly amassed in the region.
More than 80 people have been killed in strikes on alleged drug vessels, reported CNN.
On Sunday, Trump warned that Venezuela’s airspace should be considered closed.
“To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump posted to Truth Social.
Some flights have continued to operate in Venezuelan airspace despite Trump’s warning, including commercial and private jets, Flightradar24 shows.
Maduro’s government responded, calling the president’s comments a “colonialist threat.”
“No authority outside the Venezuelan institutional framework has the power to interfere with, block, or condition the use of international airspace,” the statement said.
Trump, who designated Maduro as the leader of the Cartel de Los Soles, has been pressuring him to resign and flee the country. Trump confirmed he has spoken with Maduro but did not share the details of what was discussed.
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