The Pentagon is preparing an operation using attack drones to attack "specific targets" in Venezuela, according to NBC News. The US claims the homes of Venezuelan drug cartel leaders and labs producing illegal substances will be targeted. The plan has already been submitted to President Donald Trump, who is currently considering whether to approve it.

According to sources, the operation could begin in the coming weeks and will focus on precision strikes using MQ-9 Reaper drones armed with Hellfire missiles. This is a further development in the anti-drug trafficking campaign launched after the destruction of three suspected drug runners in the Caribbean, which sparked protests in Caracas and condemnation by the UN as "extrajudicial killings."