Donald Trump’s advisers have proposed a military option to remove Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, The New York Times reports.
The idea is being lobbied by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who the CIA and the US Department of Justice support.
Washington officially considers Maduro an illegitimate leader and accuses him of drug trafficking and leading a “terrorist group”.
The Pentagon does not rule out military options to remove his regime. The number of US troops in the region has increased by 6,500, and a fleet has been assembled in the Caribbean.
US forces have already carried out several strikes on ships involved in the Venezuelan drug trade.
According to Trump, the US “has begun to destroy Venezuelan terrorists and the drug networks led by Maduro”.
The use of force is in focus, but a decision on full-scale action has not yet been made.
