PRESIDENT TRUMP ORDERED CIA OPERATIONS INSIDE VENEZUELA IN MAJOR ESCALATION

United States President Donald Trump has confirmed a report he authorised the Central Intelligence Agency, CIA, to conduct covert operations inside Venezuela.

BBC News quotes the president saying he is considering strikes targeting drug cartels there.

US forces have already conducted at least five strikes on suspected drug-carrying boats in the Caribbean in recent weeks, killing 27 people. UN-appointed human rights experts have described the raids as “extrajudicial executions”.

Speaking at the White House, President Trump said the US “is looking at land” as it considers further strikes in the region.

Trump has sought to increase pressure on Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro.

There has been sabre-rattling from Washington for months, but this is a major escalation, stoking fears of a major escalation in what is considered a ‘zone of peace’.