US President Donald Trump has once again suggested that the US military could begin conducting “land” operations in Venezuela, a move that has been seen by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro as a precursor to an invasion. Incidentally, the increased US hostility comes at a time when Grenada, a small Caribbean country, is marking 42 years since the US invasion.
Meanwhile, an overnight US strike on a boat alleged to be operated by a Venezuelan drug cartel killed six people, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Friday.
The latest military action brings the total number of US strikes on alleged traffickers in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific to at least 10, leaving at least 43 people dead, according to an AFP tally.
Hegseth posted on X: “Six male narco-terrorists were aboard the vessel during the strike, which was conducted in international waters — and was the first strike at night.”
“All six terrorists were killed,” Hegseth said, adding, “If you are a narco-terrorist smuggling drugs in our hemisphere, we will treat you like we treat Al-Qaeda. Day or NIGHT, we will map your networks, track your people, hunt you down, and kill you.”
Since August 2025, the US has launched a large-scale military buildup in the region, including destroyers, cruisers, and submarines, as well as aerial assets such as MQ-9 Reaper drones, F-35 stealth fighters, and tankers. It flew B-52 bombers near Venezuela earlier this month, followed by a similar flight by B-1B strategic bombers on October 23.
Further fuelling tensions, Trump said on October 23 that the US could launch strikes against alleged drug traffickers abroad without Congress passing an official declaration of war.
“I’m not going to necessarily ask for a declaration of war,” he said. “I think we’re just going to kill people who are bringing drugs into our country. Okay? We’re going to kill them, you know, they’re going to be like, dead.”
President Trump threatens to strike Venezuela land targets next:
"The land is going to be next. We may go to the Senate and Congress and tell them about it. But I can't imagine they would have any problem. What are they going to say?"pic.twitter.com/Si5f7dxIMx
— The American Conservative (@amconmag) October 23, 2025
Additionally, Trump indicated that his administration would soon start targeting individuals believed to be cartel members in countries like Venezuela. The President told the media that he would first notify Congress before starting any activities on “land,” while affirming that lawmakers would not oppose the idea.
Notably, President Nicolás Maduro’s government has already declared an emergency, labeling the strikes “extrajudicial executions” and has noted rather categorically that a violation of sovereignty is aimed at regime change. He states that the maritime strikes, coupled with a potential ground operation, would be akin to a US invasion of Venezuela rather than a war against drug cartels.
Breaking today: The U.S. carried out a 2nd bomber demo in the Caribbean, sending two USAF B-1B Lancer bombers ~50 miles off the coast of Venezuela.
The pair of Bones came within ~6 miles of Los Testigos, a Venezuelan island group (with a coast guard station). Via @flightradar24: pic.twitter.com/Nq3C6ktNSy
— Ian Ellis (@ianellisjones) October 24, 2025
Venezuela has continued to push back against the US military’s aggression. Thousands of Venezuelans have joined a civilian militia in response to Maduro’s call for bolstering the cash-strapped country’s defenses.
Many have taken part in weapons training held at military barracks and in neighborhoods. Maduro has ordered military drills and announced that he was mobilizing the military, police, and civilian militia to defend Venezuela’s “mountains, coasts, schools, hospitals, factories, and markets.”
US Invasion Of Grenada
The US invasion of Grenada, codenamed “Operation Urgent Fury”, occurred more than four decades ago, on October 25, 1983.
Grenada, a small Caribbean island nation, was under the authoritarian rule of Prime Minister Eric Gairy in the 1970s, following its independence from the United Kingdom in 1974.
However, people of Grenada soon realized that Gairy’s government was marked by corruption, economic stagnation, and repression of political opposition. Gairy’s regime, supported by his paramilitary group, the “Mongoose Gang,” eventually sparked widespread discontent.
As discontent against the Gairy administration began to brew, a new Marxist-Leninist group led by Maurice Bishop formed the New Jewel Movement (NJM), which aimed to address social inequalities, promote economic reform, and oppose Gairy’s regime.
On March 13, 1979, while Gairy was in the United States, the NJM seized the opportunity, and a small group of armed Marxist-Leninist NJM members, led by Maurice Bishop, attacked key government installations, including the army barracks and the radio station.
With minimal resistance from Gairy’s forces, the NJM quickly took control of the government. Bishop suspended the constitution, dissolved parliament, and established a socialist government that came to be known as the People’s Revolutionary Government (PRG).
Bishop became the Prime Minister of the new government.
The NJM’s takeover was initially popular, as it promised land reform, education, healthcare, and an end to corruption — everything the people of Grenada desired. The coup had occurred during the Cold War, and Bishop’s socialist policies, including alignment with Cuba and the Soviet Union, drew the attention of the United States.
Bishop’s joy and enthusiasm did not last long, as fractures emerged within the movement, leading to a tense power struggle among leaders. Bishop found himself being challenged by Bernard Coard, his Deputy Prime Minister, and Hudson Austin, the head of the People’s Revolutionary Army.
Shortly after, a coup was launched against Bishop.
Coard first placed Bishop under house arrest, but Bishop was freed by public demonstrations. Bishop was later captured and executed by a firing squad under the command of Hudson Austin’s forces on October 19, 1983. The execution and the toppling of his government caused large-scale chaos in the country.
The Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), along with Jamaica and Barbados, formally requested US assistance to restore order and counter the Marxist regime.
This was an opening that the US, under Ronald Reagan, had been eyeing. The Reagan administration viewed this regime as a Soviet-Cuban proxy, aligning with the broader Cold War strategy of containing communism under the Reagan Doctrine.
Moreover, the construction of a large airstrip at Point Salines, partially funded by Cuba and supported by Cuban workers and military forces, raised fears that Grenada could become a Soviet outpost in the Caribbean, potentially threatening regional stability and American interests.
Notably, over 600 US students at St. George’s University were on the island during a violent internal coup in October 1983. The US used the rescue of its students as a veneer to launch an invasion that would nip communism in the country from the bud.
Grenada’s governor general, Paul Scoon, welcomed “military action by friendly states” to bring peace, and this plea would serve as a major legal justification for the invasion that followed.
Operation Urgent Fury, the United States’ biggest military operation since the conclusion of the Vietnam War, began on October 25, 1983. The operation involved thousands of US troops, including Marines, Army Rangers, and Navy SEALs, as well as 350 Caribbean troops from the Caribbean Peace Force.
The primary goals were to evacuate American citizens, neutralize Grenadian and Cuban forces, and establish a pro-Western government.
The US forces landed at multiple points, including the Point Salines airstrip and Grand Anse campus. Despite poor intelligence, communication issues, and logistical challenges, US forces quickly secured key objectives.
By October 28, 1983, the US forces had secured complete control of the island. The Marxist government was overthrown, and a US-backed interim government was established, leading to democratic elections in 1984.
The invasion was controversial. The United Nations General Assembly condemned it as a “flagrant violation of international law.” However, Grenadians largely welcomed the intervention, as it ended the violent political crisis.
Reagan described Grenada as a “Soviet-Cuban colony” in a televised speech on October 27 and asserted that the invasion had come “just in time”. By the middle of December 1983, all American combat soldiers had left Grenada, leaving about 300 noncombat personnel to serve as advisors to the OECS peacekeeping mission.
The invasion was part of the Reagan Doctrine, aimed at rolling back communist influence in the Western Hemisphere. It signaled the US’s willingness to use military force to counter perceived Soviet expansion.
Even though the invasion was condemned by International institutions, Grenada celebrates October 25 as “Thanksgiving Day” to mark the intervention.
The invasion sent a message to other leftist regimes in the Caribbean and Latin America, deterring Soviet or Cuban expansion.
A few years later, in 1989, the US forces launched an invasion of Panama, de facto ruler of Panama, General Manuel Noriega, who was accused of racketeering and drug trafficking by the United States. These operations strengthened US influence in the region.
With Trump now going after Nicolas Maduro and threatening land attacks, there is a strange sense of deja vu among observers, with many signalling that the US President is bringing back the era of US interventions in the Caribbean.
- Contact the author at sakshi.tiwari13 (at) outlook.com
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