Venezuela's Maduro Claims Trump Has Already Ordered The CIA To 'Attack'

Venezuela's authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro claimed that Donald Trump has already ordered the CIA to "attack" the South American country as pressure ramps up to oust him from power.

Maduro was making reference to the fact that Trump confirmed a New York Times report claiming that he had authorized the CIA to conduct lethal covert operations in Venezuela.

The piece detailed that the operations would extend elsewhere in the Caribbean, and the agency could take action against Maduro or his government, either unilaterally or as part of a larger military operation. Officials told the outlet that the ultimate goal of the escalation is removing Maduro from power.

Maduro discussed the development during a televised allocution, claiming that "for the first time in history" a U.S. administration "has authorized and ordered such an attack." "never has a U.S. government said publicly they were sending the CIA to kill, oust and end countries," Maduro added.

"They, with their psychological warfare, want to frighten the people, divide the people. They want to demoralize the people and hurt our country," he said during a passage of the message. However, he added, "the people are united."

The Trump administration, in the meantime, continues to ramp up pressure on the regime. This week, a Special Operations aviation unit has flown less than a 100 miles from the country, according to a new report.

The Washington Post detailed that the helicopters conducted training exercises, which could lead to expanded operations against the Venezuelan regime, including inside the country. Visuals circulating on social media appear to show MH-6 Little Bird attack helicopters and MH-60 Black Hawks, the outlet added.

The aircraft are likely operated by the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, mark Cancian, a senior adviser with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told the Post. They usually fly missions for commandos like Navy SEALs, Green Berets and Delta force.

A U.S. official said the helicopters were conducting training flights and should not be taken as evidence of drills for a land assault into Venezuela. However, the U.S. has amassed some 10,000 troops in the region, as well as vessels and submarines, and conducted at least six strikes against alleged drug boats.