The largest warship is approaching; Trump is heading to war; "This is an act of aggression"

U.S. warships are already gathering in the Caribbean Sea, the CIA has been given the green light for lethal operations, and U.S. President Donald Trump accuses Nicolás Maduro of leading an "organized criminal group."

The missile destroyer USS Gravely has docked in the capital of Trinidad and Tobago, just 40 km from Venezuela, prompting the official Caracas to lodge a complaint with the UN Security Council.

“This is an act of aggression,” the Venezuelan foreign minister said.

The Pentagon has told Congress that the U.S. carried out at least seven strikes on vessels near Venezuela since September, which are alleged to have been transporting drugs.

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However, Trump’s claims have been met with skepticism. He has not provided evidence for the accusation that Maduro leads the “Tren de Aragua” gang, and U.S. intelligence agencies do not support that claim.

Sky News’s chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay notes that fentanyl, which is devastating American society, is mostly produced in Mexico, not Venezuela.

Earlier this month Trump confirmed that the CIA was authorized to conduct covert operations in Venezuela, including those with lethal outcomes. When asked whether the agency has authority to kill Maduro, the president dodged the question.

Dr. Karlos Solar, a Latin America security expert at the British think tank RUSI, says the level of U.S. military engagement is “disproportionate” to the task of combating drug trafficking.

According to him, possible scenarios include precision long-range strikes on facilities linked to the drug trade — which could prompt a Venezuelan response, similar to U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites and Iran’s retaliation against bases in Qatar — as well as the destruction of key military targets to force Maduro into surrender and exile while minimizing the country’s destabilization, Sky News reports.

“Given the prospects for conflict, it is reasonable to have maximum intelligence capabilities on the ground,” Solar adds, emphasizing that the CIA has a long history of operations in the region — from paramilitary actions to intelligence gathering.