According to a media report, US President Donald Trump gave the green light for attacks on Venezuela days ago. Military officials had considered carrying out the attacks on Christmas, US news channel CBS News reported, citing two people familiar with the matter.
However, due to the US air strikes in Nigeria against targets of the Islamic State (IS), the plans were then postponed. According to CBS News, there were additional windows of opportunity for attacks in the days after Christmas – but the weather was unfavorable, so the US military waited for better conditions.
On Saturday night, the United States then attacked targets in Venezuela. The government in Caracas accused Washington of carrying out military aggression against civilian and military targets.
Several US lawmakers have expressed doubts about the legality of the move. The Democratic Senator from Arizona, Ruben Gallego, wrote on the short message service
A colleague of US President Donald Trump, Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah, also expressed doubts: “I am curious to learn what – if anything – could constitutionally justify this action, given the lack of a declaration of war or authorization for the use of military force.”
Because of the US attack on Venezuela, the South American country announced on Saturday that it would use all of its military resources. There will be a “massive deployment of all land, air, naval, river and ballistic assets,” said Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López in a speech that was distributed on online networks.
