Senior Pentagon officials presented President Donald Trump with options for military action against Venezuela, including attacks on ground targets, CBS News reported, citing White House sources. The meeting took place on Wednesday, but no final decision has been made.

According to the publication, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Kaine, and other senior officials briefed on force capabilities for the coming days. US intelligence prepared data for hypothetical operations. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was absent, returning from an overseas assignment, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio was attending the G7 summit in Canada.

The White House and the Pentagon declined to comment. Earlier, the USS Gerald Ford carrier group entered the US Southern Command zone, strengthening its presence in the Caribbean. It was joined by destroyers, cruisers, and aircraft, which experts estimate creates a "strategic timer" for action. The Washington Post notes that targets may include military bases and cocaine laboratories.

Since August, the US has destroyed dozens of drug-carrying vessels off the coast of Venezuela, costing 75 lives. Hegseth called it a "war on narco-terrorists," but critics see it as preparation for regime change. Venezuela responded with exercises and requests for assistance from Moscow.