Top Caracas Official Claims The 'High Spheres' Of The U.S. Govt. Are 'Discussing Regime Change': 'The Empire Won't Change In Thinking Venezuela Is Its Backyard'

Top Venezuelan official Diosdado Cabello claimed that the "high spheres" in the U.S. government are discussing "regime change" in Caracas as the Trump administration continues to escalate its military campaign in the region.

"No one talks about Tren de Aragua or drug-trafficking anymore," said Diosdado Cabello during a televised address. "The empire won't change In thinking Venezuela is its backyard," he added.

The statement comes as the USS Gerald R. Ford continues heading to the Caribbean, a move that could signal that U.S. airstrikes on Venezuela are nearer, according to a Latin America specialist whose scholarship includes a detailed study of the 1989 U.S. invasion of Panama.

In remarks published this week by La Vanguardia, the historian said that if President Donald Trump were preparing to use military force against Venezuela from the Caribbean, "the first thing to look for in the fleet is an aircraft carrier." He described the arrival of the USS Gerald R. Ford — the world's largest carrier, equipped with more than 75 aircraft including 24 Super Hornet strike fighters — as "undoubtedly a sign they may be closer to carrying out airstrikes."

The researcher, a former U.S. Army member and now professor at George Washington University, told La Vanguardia that any potential strike would be aimed primarily at domestic political audiences rather than removing Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. "The Trump administration could carry out some kind of small-scale airstrike," he said. "Not to take control of the country or kill Maduro. I have no idea what they would intend to achieve."

He added that Trump appears more focused on counternarcotics operations than regime change, and that recent strikes on suspected narcotics-linked vessels — more than 20 in the last six weeks — are likely designed for "domestic consumption." He said the perception that Venezuelan authorities are linked to drug trafficking "plays well in the U.S."

The analyst dismissed the likelihood of an invasion comparable to Panama, noting that 1989 required large-scale troop buildup in advance. "A Panamanian-style invasion would require a minimum of about 15,000 soldiers," he said, adding that there is no evidence of the force concentration that preceded the Noriega operation.

His comments follow President Trump's weekend interview with CBS, during which he said he doubted war with Venezuela was imminent but did not rule out ground strikes. Asked whether the United States planned land attacks, Trump answered: "I'm not going to tell you what I'm going to do with Venezuela, whether I will or I won't."