Former U.S. Admiral Says There Is a '70% Chance' The U.S. Will Conduct Strikes Inside Venezuela

Former Supreme Allied Commander James Stavridis assigned a 70% chance of the U.S. conducting land strikes in Venezuela as the Trump administration continues to ramp up pressure on the Maduro regime.

Speaking to CNN, Stavridis said the only "limiting factor at this point from a military perspective" is the fact that the "carrier USS Ford is not yet on station." "It will take them maybe 7 days to get on station. Then all the pieces are in place. The Pentagon will say the table is set for strikes. I think at that point President Trump has a big decision to make," the former admiral added.

Stavridis went on to predict that, should the administration effectively carry out strikes, "they are probably not going to, at least immediately, go after leadership targets" but "confine" them "to where the drugs are coming from."

"Then turn to Maduro and say 'last exit before the tunnel,'" Stavridis concluded.

While the USS Ford, the Navy's largest aircraft carrier, continues heading to the Caribbean, U.S. troops continue conducting strikes and drills signaling willingness to oust the regime.

Last weekend, U.S. Marines conducted landing drills in Puerto Rico. In a social media post, the Southern Command said Marines conducted "training operations in Puerto Rico" in support of the mission, which is focused on president Trump's "priorities to disrupt illicit drug trafficking."

U.S. forces have also been upgrading an abandoned naval base from the Cold War in the territory, according to a new report, which could support operations against the Venezuelan regime.

Citing satellite imagery and photos, Reuters noted that troops are rebuilding the former Roosevelt Roads naval base in Puerto Rico by clearing and repaving taxiways leading to the runway.

The outlet added that the base is one of the largest in the world and offers a large amount of space for gathering equipment. The U.S. is also building facilities at civilian airports in Puerto Rico and St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Three military officials told Reuters that the construction could allow the military to conduct operations inside Venezuela.

Christopher Hernandez-Roy, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), added that the preparations could be "designed to scare the pants off the Maduro regime and the generals around him, with the hope that it will create fissures."