Trump has confirmed that he authorized CIA action in Venezuela

President Donald Trump has confirmed reports that he has authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela – and said he is considering strikes against drug cartels there.

US forces have already carried out at least five strikes against suspected drug boats in the Caribbean in recent weeks, killing 27 people. UN-appointed human rights experts described the attacks as “extrajudicial executions”.

Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump said the US was “looking at the ground” as it considered further strikes in the region.

Trump has sought to increase pressure on President Nicolas Maduro, who the United States and others do not recognize as Venezuela’s legitimate leader after a disputed election.

The increased US military presence in the region has raised fears in Caracas of a possible attack.

According to the New York Times, Trump’s authorization would allow the CIA to conduct operations in Venezuela unilaterally or as part of a broader US military operation.

It remains unknown whether the CIA is planning operations in Venezuela or whether these plans are being kept as contingencies.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office alongside FBI Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi, Trump was questioned about the New York Times report.

“Why did you let the CIA into Venezuela?” asked a reporter.

“I really authorized it for two reasons,” Trump said in a highly unusual admission from a US commander in chief of a spy agency whose activities are usually shrouded in secrecy.

“First, they (Venezuela) emptied their prisons in the United States of America.

He added: “And the other thing is drugs. We have a lot of drugs coming from Venezuela, and a lot of the Venezuelan drugs come by sea, so you can see that, but we’re going to stop them by land as well.”

The president declined to answer a question about whether the CIA clearance would allow the agency to oust Maduro, for whom the US has offered a $50m (£37m) reward.

“Wouldn’t it be ridiculous to answer that question?” he said.

Although Maduro’s government has not directly commented on the CIA clearance, Vice President Delsey Rodriguez struck a defiant tone on television Wednesday.

He said: “Let no aggressor dare, because he knows that here is the people of (Venezuelan liberator Simon) Bolívar, here is the people of our ancestors with raised swords to protect us in all circumstances.”

In the latest US strike on Tuesday, six people were killed when a boat was targeted near the coast of Venezuela.

On Truth Social, Trump said that “intelligence has confirmed that the ship trafficked drugs, was connected to illegal narco-terrorist networks, and traveled through a known” drug-trafficking corridor.

As has been the case in previous strikes, U.S. officials did not specify what drug-trafficking organization allegedly operated the vessel, nor the identities of those on board.

The strikes are part of a larger military effort to pressure Maduro’s government, which includes the positioning of significant air and naval assets in the region, as well as some 4,000 troops.

In a leaked memo recently sent to US lawmakers and reported by US media, the administration said it had determined it had engaged in a “non-international armed conflict” with drug-trafficking organizations.

U.S. officials say Maduro himself is part of an organization called the Cartel of the Suns, which they say includes high-ranking Venezuelan military and security officials involved in drug trafficking.

Maduro has repeatedly denied the allegations, and Venezuela’s government has condemned the strikes.

(With additional reporting by Ione Wells)