Marines of the U.S. Army train landing maneuvers in Puerto Rico amid escalating tensions with Venezuela.
This Saturday, the U.S. Southern Command said on X that the Twenty-Second Marine Expeditionary Unit conducted “training operations in Puerto Rico.”
"The U.S. military forces are deployed in the Caribbean in support of the Southern Command mission, operations led by the Department of Defense, and the priorities of the U.S. president to dismantle illicit drug trafficking and protect the homeland," they added.
The post was accompanied by a video showing an amphibious landing supported by several units of UH-1Y transport helicopters— from which the marines also practiced the landing— and Apache attack helicopters, EFE specified.
Additionally, the video shows how teams of marines are transported in a Polaris MRZR off-road vehicle and then secure positions.
However, last Friday the President of the United States, Donald Trump denied media reports regarding alleged plans to bomb Venezuelan military targets.
“No,” was Trump's blunt response when asked by reporters about a supposed imminent attack on military facilities in Venezuela.
The denial comes just hours after U.S. media outlets reported that the Pentagon had already identified several targets linked to drug trafficking on Venezuelan territory, including fuel depots and bases used by the regime of Nicolás Maduro.
The Deputy Press Secretary, Anna Kelly, also rejected the statement and emphasized that any announcement regarding defense or national security can only come from the president himself.
A high-ranking U.S. official, quoted by the Nuevo Herald, stated that Maduro "could find himself trapped in his own country" if the operation is carried out. "There is more than one general willing to hand him over," the source assured.
The rumor of an air offensive spread following the recent deployment to Latin America of a naval strike group led by the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford, as part of Washington's border security strategy.
The operation had been interpreted as a possible prelude to a military escalation against Caracas.
The news reports had described the alleged offensive as a “new phase” in Washington's pressure policy, aimed at striking military and logistical structures allegedly linked to the drug trafficking of the so-called Cartel of the Suns.
However, the U.S. administration insists that there are no military actions planned "for now."
Such announcements come after a series of U.S. military operations in the Caribbean, which have included attacks on vessels allegedly linked to the Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan organization classified as a terrorist group.
The White House has intensified pressure on the regime of Nicolás Maduro, which Trump accuses of leading a drug cartel.
The president also confirmed that he authorized covert CIA operations in Venezuela, arguing that the South American country “has released prisoners to the United States and allowed the flow of drugs through maritime routes.”
Meanwhile, Democratic and Republican lawmakers have expressed concern about the legality of operations, and are pushing for a resolution to prohibit the use of armed forces in "hostilities" against Venezuela without Congressional authorization.
Although the presence of U.S. military forces has raised alarms in the region, military analysts consider a large-scale invasion unlikely.
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