Overview
- The Wall Street Journal reported that President Donald Trump recently voiced doubts to senior advisers about launching military action in Venezuela, though he continues to seek briefings on potential operations and has set no decision timeline.
- Options presented to the president include ramped‑up sanctions and tariffs, bolstering the opposition alongside a larger regional troop presence, and potential covert activities or strikes on government and military targets, with officials weighing legal justifications.
- Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro approved ruling‑party proposals to prepare for armed resistance in the event of U.S. aggression, directing grassroots operational planning across neighborhoods and communities.
- U.S. special envoy Richard Grenell publicly disputed a New York Times report alleging consideration of capture or assassination scenarios for Maduro, calling the article inaccurate.
- Diplomatic fallout is growing, with Bloomberg reporting several EU leaders plan to skip the Nov. 9–10 SELAC summit in Colombia and Russia’s UN envoy saying a Security Council statement on Venezuela was blocked by one member, as U.S. forces keep up boat interdictions in the Caribbean.