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The U.S. is just not getting ready to make the most of further navy power in Venezuela, however will not hesitate to make use of such power within the occasion of an “imminent menace,” based on Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“The president by no means guidelines out his choices as commander-in-chief to guard the nationwide curiosity of the USA,” Rubio advised lawmakers on the Senate Overseas Relations Committee Wednesday. “I can let you know proper now with full certainty, we aren’t postured to, nor will we intend or count on to need to take any navy motion in Venezuela at any time. The one navy presence you will notice in Venezuela is our Marine guards at an embassy.”
That mentioned, Rubio mentioned that sure occasions might warrant navy actions — pointing to a hypothetical state of affairs the place an Iranian drone manufacturing unit emerged within the area and threatened U.S. presence or allies there.
“The president does reserve the choice in self-defense to get rid of that menace,” Rubio mentioned. “We do not see that, we do not anticipate that, however it might occur. We hope not … However I believe it could require the emergence of an imminent menace of the type that we don’t anticipate presently.”
Rubio’s remarks got here in response to questions on his ready assertion, which mentioned that the U.S. is ready to exert navy power to make sure cooperation from Venezuela’s interim authorities if it defies Washington following the ouster of dictator Nicolás Maduro.
“We’re ready to make use of power to make sure most cooperation if different strategies fail,” Rubio’s ready testimony had mentioned, which he finally didn’t find yourself utilizing. “It’s our hope that this is not going to show obligatory, however we are going to by no means draw back from our responsibility to the American folks and our mission on this hemisphere.”
Marco Rubio testifies earlier than a Senate Overseas Relations Committee listening to on his nomination to be Secretary of State, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on January 15, 2025.
Rubio’s ready testimony additionally maintained that there are not any U.S. troops in Venezuela, and that the operation didn’t quantity to waging a conflict in Caracas.
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“There is no such thing as a conflict in opposition to Venezuela, and we didn’t occupy a rustic,” Rubio mentioned in his ready remarks. “There are not any U.S. troops on the bottom. This was an operation to help regulation enforcement.”
The transfer to ouster Maduro has attracted scrutiny, largely from Democrats, who’ve referred to as into query the legality of the operation in Venezuela, which was performed with out Congress’ approval.
However efforts in Congress to go a conflict powers decision that will have restricted the Trump administration from conducting further navy motion in Venezuela did not go earlier in January. Rubio beforehand has claimed Congressional approval wasn’t required as a result of the operation was not an “invasion.”
On Wednesday, Rubio mentioned that ought to U.S. navy forces be concerned in Venezuela in a “sustained” means, Congress would obtain notification 48-hours after the very fact, and can be required to obtain Congressional approval if the engagement lasted longer than 60 days.
Rubio additionally advised lawmakers that Congress wasn’t consulted concerning the potential raid as a consequence of issues from the Division of Warfare about leaks, and since it wasn’t even a chance to execute such a mission till late December 2025 in any case negotiation efforts with Maduro had failed.
“It was additionally a trigger-based operation. It could by no means have occurred,” Rubio mentioned. “It required a variety of components to all align on the proper place, on the proper time, in a really restricted window, and it wasn’t even clear if it was ever going to be attainable.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio additionally advised lawmakers that Congress wasn’t consulted concerning the potential raid as a consequence of issues from the Division of Warfare about leaks. (Mark Schiefelbein/The Related Press )
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On Jan. 3, President Donald Trump introduced that U.S. particular forces had executed a “large-scale strike” in opposition to Caracas, Venezuela, and seized Maduro and his spouse, Cilia Flores. The 2 had been transported to New York and appeared in a Manhattan federal court docket Jan. 5 on drug costs, the place they every pleaded not responsible.
The raid adopted months of strain on Venezuela to squeeze out Maduro amid greater than two dozen strikes in Latin American waters in opposition to alleged drug traffickers — which the Trump administration claimed aligned with Trump’s effort to curb the inflow of medication into the U.S.
Nicolas Maduro and his spouse, Cilia Flores, are seen in handcuffs after touchdown at a Manhattan helipad, escorted by closely armed Federal brokers as they make their means into an armored automotive en path to a Federal courthouse in Manhattan on January 5, 2026 in New York Metropolis. (XNY/Star Max/GC Pictures through Getty Pictures)
Since Maduro’s seize, the U.S. has performed not less than one further strike in opposition to alleged drug trafficking vessels within the area.
The Trump administration had beforehand asserted that it didn’t acknowledge Maduro as a authentic head of state and as an alternative, claimed he was the chief of a drug cartel. Moreover, Trump mentioned in December 2025, shortly earlier than the operation, that he believed it could be “good” for Maduro to step down.
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The Trump administration has to this point backed Maduro’s vice chairman, Delcy Rodríguez, to guide Venezuela’s interim authorities.
