‘Without question’ Trump aims to overthrow our administration, Venezuelan official states to BBC

According to Venezuela’s attorney general, US President Donald Trump aims to transform Venezuela into an American “colony,” as reported by BBC’s Newshour.

Tarek William Saab mentioned on Sunday that the push for regime change in Venezuela is merely a guise to obtain the nation’s natural wealth, encompassing gold, oil, and copper reserves.

As a close associate of President Nicolás Maduro, Saab expressed certainty that the US is attempting to topple the Venezuelan government, remarking that such efforts have consistently failed throughout history.

The US is listed among various countries that refuse to acknowledge Maduro as the rightful leader of Venezuela, particularly after the 2024 election was broadly deemed neither free nor fair.

Trump has often discussed the potential of “land action” in Venezuela, stating last week that the US is “considering land now” following successful control of maritime operations.

Strikes on alleged drug vessels off South America’s coast have resulted in at least 43 casualties, which Trump’s administration authorized in September as part of an asserted war against drug trafficking.

Members of the US Congress from both major parties have voiced concerns regarding the legality of these strikes and the president’s power to initiate them.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham informed the media on Sunday that forthcoming land strikes are a “real possibility,” highlighting Trump’s intention to update Congress members on upcoming military plans after returning from Asia.

When inquired about the potential for a land invasion into Venezuela, Saab remarked to the BBC that “it should not happen, but we are prepared.”

He mentioned that Venezuela remains “willing to resume dialogue” with the US, despite the ongoing “illegitimate” battle against drug traffickers.

In the past two months, the US has been incrementally assembling a fleet of warships, fighters, marines, reconnaissance planes, bombers, and drones in the Caribbean, which they claim is part of a crackdown on drug-trafficking and “narco-terrorists.”

Many analysts speculate that this represents a broader intimidation strategy aimed at unseating President Maduro.

President Maduro has charged the US with “manufacturing war” after the US ordered the deployment of the USS Gerald R Ford, the largest warship in the world, to the Caribbean, which has yet to arrive.

On Sunday, the guided-missile destroyer USS Gravely docked in Trinidad and Tobago, a dual-island country located close to Venezuela, marking the largest US military deployment to the Caribbean Sea in decades.

The destroyer is on an official visit until Thursday for joint training and exercises.

Venezuela’s government issued a statement denouncing the event as “a military provocation by Trinidad and Tobago in cooperation with the CIA.”

Additionally, Venezuela alleged the capture of a “mercenary group with direct links to US intelligence,” claiming that a “false flag attack is in progress” in the waters separating Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago.

A false flag operation refers to a political or military maneuver intended to attribute blame to an adversary.

Maduro has previously alleged false flag operations, including a supposed scheme to detonate explosives at the US embassy in Caracas in early October.

Additional reporting by Ione Wells