Trump Set to Strike Venezuela Military Installations ‘at Any Moment’: Miami Herald
President Donald Trump answers questions from reporters during a roundtable on criminal cartels in the State Dining Room of the White House, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump has decided to strike multiple Venezuela military installations, according to a new report from the Miami Herald.
Sources familiar with the situation told the Herald that the strikes “could come at any moment.”
An attack would mark a major escalation in an already-tense situation, with the president already approving deadly strikes on boats from Venezuela that he and other officials claim are a direct threat to the U.S. as they are allegedly carrying drugs and bringing them into the country.
The strikes have faced bipartisan pushback with critics questioning their legality with no due process or proof of the allegations. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has been one of the more vocal critics, calling the policy “insane” and uncivilized.
The incoming strikes were also reported on by The Wall Street Journal.
Trump has claimed that Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro is the head of the alleged smuggling operation the United States is targeting. Maduro was sworn in January despite big questions about the legitimacy of his victory. His opposition reviewed tally sheets from 80% of voting machines and counted twice as many votes for Edmundo González. The U.S.-based Carter Center confirmed that tally was legitimate.
“Venezuela’s electoral process did not meet international standards of electoral integrity at any of its stages and violated numerous provisions of its own national laws,” the Center, which oversaw the election, said in a statement.
Trump reportedly authorized covert CIA operations in Venezuela earlier this month.
“We are certainly looking at land now, because we’ve got the sea very well under control,” the president said.
The Department of Justice is currently offering a $50 million reward to information leading to Maduro’s arrest and/or conviction.
The new strikes could happen in days or even hours, according to the Miami Herald, which published its report on Friday morning.
One source speaking with the paper appeared to suggest a regime change could be coming for Venezuela.
“Maduro is about to find himself trapped and might soon discover that he cannot flee the country even if he decided to,” the person said. “What’s worse for him, there is now more than one general willing to capture and hand him over, fully aware that one thing is to talk about death, and another to see it coming.”
Trump denied the reports about imminent strikes, telling reporters on Friday he has not made a final decision.
