The White House has a secret bin Laden-style plot ready to take out Venezuela’s president should the order come, a source told the Daily Mail.
The operation, which would likely involve Special Forces such as those used to kill the notorious terrorist in Pakistan in 2011, is already ‘teed up’, the insider says.
The plan is understood to be awaiting Donald Trump’s go-ahead and is justified by America seeing Maduro as a narco-terrorist leader and not a legitimate ruler.
But the seismic question of whether to force regime change in Venezuela has divided the top echelons of the White House.
Sources told the Daily Mail Marco Rubio, Stephen Miller and Pete Hegseth are at the tip of the spear for removing him.
Yet JD Vance, who promotes an America-First, non-interventionist foreign policy, and Susie Wiles, who focuses on business interests at home, are against the move.
It comes as relations between America and Venezuela sour amid a growing fentanyl crisis in the States that the Trump administration in part blames on the country.
It has been further stretched with the US’s bombing of suspected cartel vessels off its coastline and sending the USS Gerald R Ford carrier into the region this month.
The White House has a secret bin Laden-style plot ready to take out Venezuela’s president should the order come, a source told the Daily Mail
The bin Laden-style plot to oust Maduro was revealed to the Daily Mail by a source familiar with Trump’s South America strategy – a plot White House aides did not deny.
While assassinating foreign leaders is illegal under international law, the Venezuelan leader has been designated as the head of a narco-terrorist network rather than a legitimate leader. The State Department doubled down on this.
‘Maduro is a fugitive of American justice who undermines regional security and poisons Americans,’ a State Department spokesman told the Daily Mail, dodging the question of what Trump and Rubio’s plans are in regards to Maduro.
A legal source familiar with conversations at the Pentagon emphasized the US has the right to defend itself.
The source said: ‘When an organization operates across borders in ways that deliberately endanger or kill US citizens, it becomes a lawful target under the right of self–defense.’
America took out Osama bin Laden in a daring SEAL Team Six raid on a mansion in Abbottabad, Pakistan, in 2011, after it was sanctioned by President Barack Obama.
US officials say other military options are on the table for Venezuela, including targeting the military, striking bases used for narcotics trafficking or seizing oil fields.
Other ideas reportedly include a CIA–led coup or sending Special Forces to capture Maduro alive.
In the middle sits Rick Grenell, who as Trump’s Venezuela envoy, has attempted to broker a compromise but has been ‘left on the outskirts of discussions,’ per one state department source
Sources told the Daily Mail Marco Rubio , Stephen Miller and Pete Hegseth are at the tip of the spear for removing him
The hideout of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden following his death by US Special Forces in Abbottabad on May 3, 2011
America took out Osama bin Laden in a daring SEAL Team Six raid on a mansion in Abbottabad, Pakistan, in 2011, after it was sanctioned by President Barack Obama
Trump will likely not need to make a decision until the Navy’s newest and largest carrier, the Gerald R. Ford, reaches the Caribbean Sea later this month.
The ship carries 5,000 crew and more than 75 aircraft. Even before its arrival, 10,000 troops are already in the region, split between warships and bases in Puerto Rico.
‘It’s going to get spicy,’ the source familiar with Trump’s South America strategy said.
Experts say the administration’s interest in Venezuela goes beyond drugs, campaign promises, oil or regime change.
Rather, it is aiming to counter China, Russia and Iranian influence in the Western Hemisphere.
‘Beijing sells arms, installs surveillance infrastructure and buys most of Venezuela’s oil. Moscow sells fighter jets, sends military trainers, and invests in energy.
‘Tehran has dispatched Hezbollah to prop up Maduro through arms trafficking, narcotics, money laundering and terror training,’ said John Sitilides, National Security Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute.
Trump will likely not need to make a decision until the Navy’s newest and largest carrier, the Gerald R. Ford, reaches the Caribbean Sea later this month
A legal source familiar with conversations at the Pentagon emphasized that the US has the right to defend itself
Most fentanyl does not come out of Venezuela but instead originates or is trafficked through places such as Mexico — and to a lesser extent Ecuador
But the plans to intervene in the South American nation has caused a split among Trump’s top officials.
Vance has criticized involvement in prolonged conflicts like the India–Pakistan and Russia–Ukraine wars and Wiles also has reservations, sources say.
A diplomat and former career foreign service officer told the Daily Mail: ‘They have preached ”no more entanglements and forever wars”.’
In the middle sits Rick Grenell, who as Trump’s Venezuela envoy, has tried to broker a compromise but has been ‘left on the outskirts of discussions,’ a state department source said.
As debates rage behind the scenes, Trump has yet to make a decision on the next move, with his advisors’ opinions buzzing in the background.
But one factor that may tip the president against an audacious strike: His thirst for a Nobel Peace Prize.
‘Look at what happened in Iran. Trump doesn’t care about government change. Look deeper.
‘He is weighing the cost–benefit analysis. He wants the Nobel Peace Prize right now, and he is on a winning track.
‘He is struggling to pull the trigger, deciding if it will be worth it,’ a source familiar with the president’s thinking told the Daily Mail.
The rift has created a high–stakes tug–of–war within the administration on one of the most consequential decisions a president can make
Amid these internal debates, the diplomatic source emphasized ‘the public is not buying the narrative about Venezuela,’ highlighting skepticism over goals there.
According to an exclusive poll, only a small fraction of Venezuelans who oppose Maduro would support American military intervention.
Just 10 percent back US interference, while most prefer internal solutions to the country’s political crisis. Inside Venezuela, people are on edge.
‘People inside Venezuela are afraid to express their opinions — if you are in favor of an intervention or an attack against the regime, you could end up in jail or a torture center like the infamous El Helicoide,’ said Juan Pablo Uzcategui of San Cristobal.
May 2023 –– Venezuelans campaigning for María Corina Machado. She is a major opposition leader in Venezuela, advocating for a democratic transition away from Chavismo, free markets and rule of law. Her exclusion from electoral participation and the persecution she faces illustrate the country’s ongoing political crisis
June 2024 –– Venezuelans campaigning for María Corina Machado, a major opposition leader in Venezuela, advocating for a democratic transition away from Chavismo, free markets and rule of law
But one thing is clear, there’s little love for Maduro inside the country’s populous, a fact that hardliners are well aware of.
‘As long as the Trump administration helps us overthrow Maduro, we will be pleased with him. There is no other way for us to dislodge these mafias,’ Uzcategui said.
In response to this story, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Daily Mail, ‘The idea that anyone in this White House, under this President, wants more wars is fundamentally wrong.’
