US Authorizes CIA Covert Operations Against Venezuela Amid Rising Tensions

President Donald Trump has authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela, intensifying pressure on the Maduro regime due to its alleged role in drug trafficking and releasing prisoners into the U.S. This military and intelligence escalation coincides with U.S. naval deployments aimed at intercepting drug shipments near Venezuela's coasts. Meanwhile, Venezuela faces severe economic hardships, including hyperinflation and currency collapse, deeply affecting ordinary citizens' living standards. Venezuelan officials have also been linked to funding and supporting U.S. left-wing activist groups such as Black Lives Matter and antifa, as revealed by a defector who detailed financial backing from the Chávez regime to these movements to promote their Bolivarian socialist agenda in the U.S. Regionally, Venezuela continues to assert its ideological influence, supporting Colombian President Gustavo Petro's anti-drug trafficking stance and opposing U.S. policies in Latin America, reinforcing its anti-imperialist narrative. These developments underscore Venezuela's complex role in both regional geopolitics and domestic U.S. political dynamics amid ongoing economic and political crises at home.