Top officials present Trump with military options for Venezuela in coming days

Senior subject officials connected Wednesday presented President Trump with updated options for imaginable operations successful Venezuela, including strikes connected land, according to aggregate sources acquainted with the meetings astatine the White House. 

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine and different elder officials briefed the president connected subject options for the coming days, the sources said.

No last determination has been made, however, 2 of the sources told CBS News.

White House spokespeople did not instantly comment. A Pentagon spokesperson declined to comment.

The U.S. quality assemblage assisted successful providing accusation for imaginable operations, the sources said. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard did not be White House discussions due to the fact that she was returning from an overseas trip. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was successful Canada astatine a G7 acme of overseas ministers.

Earlier this week, the USS Gerald Ford bearer onslaught radical entered U.S. Southern Command's country of responsibility. Southern Command is the superior combatant portion for operations successful the Caribbean and South America. 

The Ford joins a flotilla of destroyers, warfare planes and peculiar operations assets that are already successful the region. 

Over the past 2 months, the U.S. subject has conducted strikes against astatine slightest 21 vessels it alleges were ferrying drugs from South America to the U.S. At slightest 80 alleged smugglers person been killed successful the strikes. Two survived and were repatriated to their location countries of Ecuador and Colombia. The antheral released successful Ecuador was freed due to the fact that authorities recovered nary grounds helium had committed a crime. 

Eleanor Watson contributed to this report.