President Donald Trump has today denied that he was considering strikes inside Venezuela, appearing to contradict his own comments from last week.
Today, Reuters reported that when asked by reporters on Air Force One if media reports that he was considering strikes within Venezuela were true, Trump said: “No.”
The article stated that it was not immediately clear if Trump was ruling out future strikes inside Venezuela or simply saying no final decision had been made yet.
In recent weeks, Trump has publicly said that his administration will carry out strikes against drug-related targets inside Venezuela.
Earlier today, the Miami Herald reported that the Trump Administration has made the decision to attack military installations inside Venezuela and the strikes could come at any moment, citing sources with knowledge of the situation.
However the article added that the White House moved today to tamp down reports that U.S. forces are close to taking action inside Venezuelan territory. White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said “Unnamed sources don’t know what they’re talking about. Any announcements regarding Venezuela policy would come directly from the President”.
It follows another report yesterday by the Wall Street Journal, which stated that the Trump administration has identified targets in Venezuela that include military facilities used to smuggle drugs, according to U.S. officials familiar with the matter.
