Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) said on Saturday that he is monitoring “unverified” reports the Maduro regime is preparing to sabotage “key” Venezuelan infrastructure in order to blame either the United States or the opposition in the country.
Gimenez, who serves on multiple House Homeland Security and Armed Services subcommittees, said such attacks could target bridges, tunnels, and refineries in the oil-rich South American country.
“We are following reports that the narco-regime of Maduro might be preparing acts of sabotage against key infrastructure in Venezuela, including bridges, tunnels, and refineries, in order to later blame the United States or the democratic opposition,” Gimenez said in a statement. “Although they have not been verified, these allegations align with the desperate tactics of a collapsing dictatorship. The United States will continue to firmly support the Venezuelan people against tyranny, corruption, and any attempt by the regime to manufacture chaos or manipulate the truth for its political survival.”
The warning from Congress follows a Reuters report this week that Venezuela is preparing a guerilla-style resistance, which would include acts of sabotage, in the event the U.S. launches strikes inside the country.
Shortly after, Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez ordered a “massive” military deployment, including “almost 200,000” service members.
While President Donald Trump has not authorized such land strikes, he was reportedly briefed on the prospect on Wednesday, in what would be a significant escalation in his war on drug trafficking should he decide to authorize them.
The U.S. has thus far limited its military operations in the region to strikes on alleged drug vessels transiting the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, but assets have also been surged to the area.
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Those include the Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier strike group, which arrived in the Caribbean on Tuesday, as well more than a dozen warships.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth also recently announced the commencement of Operation Southern Spear, an operation aimed at protecting the Western Hemisphere from “narcoterrorists.” That announcement did not explicitly mention Venezuela, and the Pentagon declined to give more specifics beyond Hegseth’s statement.
