"Armed conflict": Trump rejects military strikes on land against drug cartels in Venezuela

Following the shelling of suspected drug boats off the coast of South America, the US military is considering land-based operations, according to US media reports. US Secretary of State Rubio called it a "fabricated story." Trump also downplayed the incident.

In the fight against drug cartels, US President Donald Trump says he does not currently intend to launch attacks inside Venezuela. When asked by reporters on his flight to Florida whether he was considering such maneuvers, he said: "No, that's not true." However, it remained unclear whether this meant future US attacks were off the table or whether Trump had simply not yet made a final decision.

Earlier, media outlets, citing informed sources, reported that a US strike in Venezuela could take place soon. The targets would reportedly be military facilities allegedly used for drug trafficking, according to the Miami Herald and the Wall Street Journal.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticized the Miami Herald for its reporting. On the X platform, he claimed that the newspaper's sources had misled it into publishing a "fabricated story."

In recent weeks, Trump has repeatedly made it clear publicly that he intends to take decisive action against drug cartels. "I think we're just going to kill people who bring drugs into our country," he said, for example. Trump also raised the possibility of operations on land, without explicitly naming Venezuela. He did not provide any details. Furthermore, the Republican had publicly revealed that he had authorized covert operations by the CIA in Venezuela.

The US government refers to them as "illegal combatants".

For weeks, the US has been attacking boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific suspected of transporting drugs. Dozens of people are reported to have been killed. In many cases, the US government has drawn a connection to Venezuela. This approach has drawn considerable criticism, particularly because the Trump administration failed to provide a legal basis for its actions. The United Nations called on the Trump administration to exercise restraint.

US media reported that the president assessed the situation as one in which the United States was engaged in an "armed conflict" with drug cartels. The US government reportedly classifies the drug cartels and their alleged smugglers as "illegal combatants." Under international humanitarian law, combatants are individuals who have the right to directly participate in hostilities during an armed conflict. Most recently, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who now calls himself Secretary of War, ordered the deployment of the world's largest aircraft carrier to the region.