Some media outlets have claimed that the administration of US President Donald Trump decided to attack military facilities in Venezuela involved in drug trafficking. Trump has denied this.

Source: Miami Herald; The Wall Street Journal; Bloomberg

Update: Trump said "no" when asked by reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday 31 October whether he had made a decision on the matter.

Earlier, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly commented on the reports, saying that "anonymous sources don't know what they're talking about" and that any announcement, if there is one, would be made by Trump himself.

Details: Miami Herald's sources familiar with the situation said that the strikes could be launched at any moment.

The planned attacks, also reported by Wall Street Journal, would target military facilities used for drug trafficking. US officials believe that the narcotics trade is controlled by an organisation led by Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and managed by senior members of his regime.

Sources told the Herald that potential US strikes could not only destroy military facilities "in a matter of days or even hours" but also decapitate the cartel's leadership.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the Trump administration has identified targets in Venezuela, including military sites used for smuggling narcotics. If Trump decides to carry out airstrikes, it would be a clear signal to Maduro that it is time to step down.

US officials estimate that the cartel exports about 500 tonnes of cocaine annually, distributed between Europe and the United States.

Sources for Miami Herald declined to confirm whether Maduro himself was a target, but one of them said that his time was running out.

"Maduro is about to find himself trapped and might soon discover that he cannot flee the country even if he decided to," a source said.

More details: Miami Herald noted that US forces have recently strengthened their presence off the coast of Venezuela as part of an operation which the White House says is aimed at combating drug trafficking and criminal networks linked to the Caracas regime.

The United States has already carried out several strikes on speedboats that, according to the Trump administration, were transporting narcotics. Most were intercepted off the Venezuelan coast, and 61 suspected drug traffickers were killed as a result of the attacks.

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