Amid abuildup of U.S. military forces near Venezuelaand strikes on alleged drug boats, PresidentDonald Trumptold U.S. troops on Thanksgiving that the military operation will soon include strikes on land.
"In recent weeks, you've been working to deter Venezuelan drug traffickers," Trump said during a call with military service members that alluded to the boat strikes, adding: "We'll be starting to stop them by land also. The land is easier, but that's going to start very soon."
Since early September, the Trump administrationhas attacked at least 21 boatstraversing the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific in international waters, killing 83 people − many of them Venezuelans. Administration officials have said, without providing evidence, that those boats were attempting to carry narcotics to the United States.
More:What the US labeling Venezuelan 'Cartel de los Soles' terrorists means
US military conducts deadly boat strikes against alleged drug traffickers
Themilitary campaignthat has drawn criticism from legal experts, who question the legality of using deadly military force rather than trying to apprehend suspected trafficking vessels and their cargo. This week Senate Democrats escalated their demands that the Trump administrationpublicly disclose the legal justificationfor conducting the attacks.
"Few decisions are more consequential for a democracy than the use of lethal force," the 13 senators, all members of the Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees,wrote in a Nov. 24 letterto Attorney GeneralPam Bondiand Defense SecretaryPete Hegseth.
More:Venezuelan boat strikes lack legal justification, Democrats say
Trump has said for weeks that he also is contemplating land strikes on targets within Venezuela. Tensions are high as the U.S. positioned its largest aircraft carrier, two guided missile destroyers, and a special operations ship near Venezuela. Around 12,000 troops are stationed in the area.
The Trump administration designated Cartel de los Soles, which it claims is headed byVenezuelan PresidentNicolás Maduro, as a foreign terrorist organization on Nov. 24, as it turns up the heat on a longtime adversary.
More:What the US labeling Venezuelan 'Cartel de los Soles' terrorists means
Yet even as he contemplates escalating military action, Trump is leaving the door open to diplomacy, saying he may speak directly with withMaduroamid hispressure campaignon the Latin American leader.
"I might talk to him, we'll see," Trump said Nov. 25 when asked about Maduro while traveling aboard Air Force One to Florida.
Contributing:Cybele Mayes-Ostermanand Josh Meyer, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Donald Trump say military 'soon' will strike land targets in Venezuela