U.S. Strikes Kill Scores as Trump Warns Maduro

President Trump told CBS’s 60 Minutes he doubts a full-scale war with Venezuela is likely but said Nicolás Maduro’s “days are numbered,” while refusing to confirm specific strike plans. The U.S. has mounted a military buildup in the Caribbean, including the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier group, F‑35s and other naval and troop deployments. U.S. forces have conducted more than a dozen strikes on vessels accused of drug trafficking; media outlets report the attacks have killed at least 65 people. Rights groups and U.N. officials have criticized the strikes as potential extrajudicial killings, though the administration frames the operations as counterdrug missions. Multiple outlets report U.S. officials privately view the campaign as part of a broader effort to unseat Maduro, with consideration of land strikes and authorized covert activity, while Caracas denies the allegations and accuses Washington of seeking regime change.