U.S. officials dealing with the military pressure campaign against Venezuela believe it is hard to convince authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro to leave power because he could be executed by Cuban handlers, according to a new report.
Axios detailed that the assessment took place as President Donald Trump plans to speak directly with Maduro even as the U.S. continues its military buildup off its coast.
A U.S. official told the outlet that there are no plans to take out Maduro at the moment. "Nobody is planning to go in and shoot him or snatch him — at this point. I wouldn't say never, but that's not the plan right now."
"In the meantime, we're going to blow up boats shipping drugs. We're going to stop the drug trafficking," the official added.
Tensions in the region escalated even further on Monday as the designation of the Cartel de los Soles, which the Trump administration accuses Maduro and top official of leading, as a terrorist organization, went into effect.
In fact, another report noted that the regime is immersed in a state of paranoia. Citing two active Venezuelan intelligence officers, the Financial Times detailed that agents are "sucking up to bosses to that they or their families don't get arrested."
"The assumption is that everyone is a traitor until they prove otherwise," one agent said. "Nobody can be trusted."
The outlet added that authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro is also tightening his security arrangements, noting that his recent public appearances have been announced at the last minute. He has appeared in front of selected crowds and party members. It is a departure with previous scheduling, which was announced ahead of time, and he would appear along with other top officials.
Trump has also reportedly authorized CIA plans for covert operations in the country. The New York Times detailed that such operations could pave the way for further action against the Venezuelan regime. It is not clear what the options are or when they could be carried out.
However, since Trump has not yet authorized combat forces on the ground, the next phase could be sabotage or cyber, psychological or information operations. In fact, other outlets reported during the weekend that Washington D.C. considered dropping leaflets in Venezuela showing the $50 million reward the U.S. is offering for information that could lead to the capture of Maduro.
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