Secretary of state says U.S. not at war, frames operation as law-enforcement action against narco-terror networks
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States will move aggressively to eliminate Hezbollah and Iranian operations in Venezuela following the capture of former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, while stressing that Washington is not at war with the South American nation.
Appearing on multiple Sunday news programs one day after elite U.S. forces seized Maduro in Caracas, Rubio said the Trump administration will not allow Venezuela to function as a hemispheric hub for Iran, Hezbollah, or other hostile actors. Speaking on Face the Nation and Meet the Press, Rubio described the operation as a targeted law-enforcement mission aimed at dismantling a narco-terror network, not a military campaign against Venezuela itself.
“It’s very simple,” Rubio said. “Under the Trump administration, we are not going to have a country like Venezuela in our own hemisphere serving as a crossroads for Hezbollah, for Iran, and for every other malign influence in the world. That’s just not going to exist.”
Rubio reiterated that the United States has no “boots on the ground” in Venezuela and that the raid to apprehend Maduro lasted only hours. He said Maduro is now in U.S. custody and facing prosecution in the Southern District of New York, adding that the U.S. is “at war against drug trafficking organizations,” not against the Venezuelan state.
The secretary emphasized that Hezbollah, an Iran-backed terrorist organization responsible for the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut and the Marine barracks attack that killed 241 U.S. service members, has maintained a deep footprint in Venezuela for decades. He said that presence will be dismantled.
Long-time Hezbollah analyst Walid Phares told Fox News Digital that the group’s roots in Venezuela date back to the mid-1980s and expanded significantly after the late President Hugo Chávez consolidated power. According to Phares, Hezbollah operatives gained access to Venezuelan institutions through passports and legal documentation, enabling networks that stretched across Latin America and reportedly reached the U.S.–Mexico border.
Phares said Hezbollah is believed to have maintained command-and-control elements in Caracas, with Margarita Island frequently cited as a logistical hub tied to financial operations, intelligence activity, and alleged narcotics trafficking. He added that Venezuelan cooperation with Iranian and Hezbollah-linked operations has included activities targeting Iranian dissidents abroad.
After Maduro’s capture, Hezbollah issued a statement condemning what it called U.S. “aggression” and declaring solidarity with Venezuela’s government, underscoring the group’s long-standing alignment with the Maduro regime.
Rubio said the next phase of U.S. pressure will center on oil enforcement. He described a continuing “oil quarantine,” court-authorized seizures of shipments, and strict sanctions enforcement aimed at depriving criminal and terrorist networks of revenue.
“We go to court, we get a warrant, and we seize those boats,” Rubio said, adding that such actions would continue. He also said the U.S. reserves the right to strike cartel-run “drug boats” moving narcotics toward the United States.
Matthew Levitt of the Washington Institute said the opportunity to dismantle Hezbollah’s Venezuelan presence will ultimately depend on the nature of the post-Maduro leadership. Rubio acknowledged that Vice President Delcy Rodríguez currently holds significant influence over Venezuela’s security apparatus but said Washington will judge any transitional authority by actions rather than assurances.
Asked on Meet the Press whether Rodríguez had offered guarantees, Rubio declined to discuss private diplomacy, saying the U.S. would “find out” whether those in power choose compliance or confrontation.
The administration’s non-negotiables, Rubio said, include ending drug trafficking, stripping gangs of safe haven, severing ties with Iran and Hezbollah, and preventing hostile actors from exploiting Venezuela’s vast energy resources.
“We don’t need Venezuela’s oil,” Rubio said. “This is about preventing our adversaries from enriching themselves while the Venezuelan people suffer.”
Rubio also pointed to Venezuela’s economic collapse and mass migration as destabilizing forces for the region and a direct national security concern for the United States. While expressing respect for opposition figures such as María Corina Machado and Edmundo González, he said that immediate elections after years of entrenched rule would be premature.
His message across both Sunday programs was consistent: the United States carried out a high-risk raid to bring a wanted narco-terror figure to justice and will continue tightening pressure through sanctions, seizures, and regional security measures until Venezuela stops exporting instability and hostile influence.
Original article
Comments