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Sept. 26, 2025, 5:37 PM EDTBy Courtney Kube, Gabe Gutierrez and Katherine DoyleWASHINGTON — U.S. military officials are drawing up options to target drug traffickers inside Venezuela, and strikes within that country’s borders could potentially begin in a matter of weeks, four sources told NBC News.Those sources are two U.S. officials familiar with the planning and two other sources familiar with the discussions. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the plans publicly.Striking inside Venezuela would be another escalation in the Trump administration’s military campaign against alleged drug targets and its stance toward Venezuela’s government.In recent weeks, the U.S. military struck at least three boats from Venezuela allegedly carrying narco-traffickers and drugs that could threaten Americans, President Donald Trump said on Truth Social. The administration has not provided evidence that drugs were on all of those boats. But an official in the Dominican Republic, alongside one from the U.S. Embassy there, did say at a press conference Sunday that drugs were found in the water after one strike.Strikes inside Venezuela could happen in the next several weeks, but the president has not approved anything yet, the four people said. Two of them and an additional official familiar with the discussions said that the United States’ recent military escalation is in part a result of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro not doing enough, in the administration’s view, to stop the flow of illegal drugs out of his country.The plans being discussed primarily focus on drone strikes against drug trafficking groups’ members and leadership, as well as targeting drug labs, the four sources said.Asked for comment, the White House referred NBC News to this previous statement from the president: “We’ll see what happens. Venezuela is sending us their gang members, their drug dealers and drugs. It’s not acceptable.” The Pentagon declined to comment.President Donald Trump said on Sept. 2 that the U.S. had carried out a strike in the southern Caribbean against a drug-carrying vessel that departed from Venezuela and was operated by the Tren de Aragua gang.@realDonaldTrump via Truth SocialSome Trump administration officials are disappointed that the United States’ military escalation does not appear to have weakened Maduro’s grip on power or prompted any significant response, the official familiar with the discussions said. The White House has faced more pushback on the strikes against the drug boats than it anticipated, prompting the administration to think carefully about next steps, the official familiar with the discussions said.That includes discussions between the U.S. and Venezuela through Middle Eastern leaders serving as intermediaries, NBC News has learned. According to a senior administration official, Maduro has spoken to those intermediaries about concessions he would be willing to make to remain in power. The senior administration official would not specify which countries are acting as intermediaries beyond saying that they are allies.Trump is “prepared to use every element of American power to stop drugs from flooding into our country and to bring those responsible to justice,” the senior administration official said.The Venezuelan government did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Maduro has previously denied any role in drug trafficking and has repeatedly alleged that the U.S. is trying to force him from power.Asked about the possibility of U.S. strikes within his country, Anibal Sanchez Ismayel, a Venezuelan political analyst, told NBC News in a WhatsApp message, “An attack on Venezuelan soil would have consequences from diplomatic protests to an increase in political persecutions of those they classify as collaborators, to further uniting the population with the need to defend sovereignty reaffirmed.”The official familiar with discussions and another source familiar with the administration’s thinking believe the U.S. striking inside Venezuela would not be surprising given other recent events.The U.S. has deployed at least eight ships with more than 4,000 personnel to the waters in the region recently and sent F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico, according to the U.S. military.“You don’t move that many resources down there without looking at all options,” the source familiar with the administration’s thinking said.That is especially true because keeping thousands of U.S. military forces, ships and aircraft in the area could begin to impact deployments elsewhere.“You can’t keep that kind of firepower in the Caribbean forever,” one of the sources familiar with the discussions said.In 2020, during Trump’s first term, the Justice Department indicted Maduro on drug trafficking charges. The Trump administration has accused Maduro of working with cartels that it says are sending cocaine, fentanyl and gang members to the U.S. The administration recently increased a U.S. reward for Maduro’s arrest to $50 million. Venezuela is not a significant cocaine producer, but is considered a major departure point for flights carrying the drug elsewhere. It is not believed to be a source for illegal fentanyl brought into the U.S., most of which comes from Mexico.Trump administration officials have not ruled out regime change as another aim of these military operations, and they have increased pressure on Maduro himself. NBC News previously reported that the administration’s goal, according to the source familiar with its thinking, is to force Maduro to make rash decisions that could ultimately lead to him being ousted without American boots on the ground.Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been one of the voices championing regime change, according to the source familiar with the administration’s thinking.Earlier this month Maduro sent a letter to Trump about opening a dialogue, according to a social media post by the Venezuelan government. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Trump received the letter but condemned it.“Frankly, I think there were a lot of lies that were repeated by Maduro in that letter, and the administration’s position on Venezuela has not changed,” Leavitt said at a White House press briefing Monday. “We view the Maduro regime as illegitimate, and the president has clearly shown that he’s willing to use any and all means necessary to stop the illegal trafficking of deadly drugs from the Venezuelan regime into the United States of America.”The U.S. has continued to coordinate with Venezuela on some matters, including on continuing deportation flights, the official familiar with the discussions said. There have been 54 such flights through last Friday, that official said.Ric Grenell, who serves as the special presidential envoy for special missions, has been in routine communication with Trump and continues to push diplomacy with Venezuela as an option, according to the same official as well as a source familiar with the negotiations.Courtney KubeCourtney Kube is a correspondent covering national security and the military for the NBC News Investigative Unit.Gabe GutierrezGabe Gutierrez is a senior White House correspondent for NBC News.Katherine DoyleKatherine Doyle is a White House reporter for NBC News. Erika Angulo contributed.
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Sept. 23, 2025, 11:30 PM EDT / Updated Sept. 24, 2025, 4:38 AM EDTBy Jennifer Jett, Peter Guo and Jay GanglaniHONG KONG — Streets in southern China were deserted Wednesday as Typhoon Ragasa, one of the world’s strongest storms this year, slammed into the region after having carved a deadly path between the Philippines and Taiwan.At least 14 people were confirmed dead in Taiwan after floodwaters from a barrier lake surged into Guangfu township in eastern Hualien County, Taiwanese media reported early Wednesday, citing officials. At least three deaths were reported a day earlier in the Philippines, where the storm also displaced thousands of people in the north of the country.China’s National Meteorological Center said Wednesday afternoon that Ragasa had weakened from a super typhoon to a strong typhoon, but that it was still packing winds of up to 112 mph. After making landfall in southwestern Guangdong later Wednesday, it was expected to move into the Gulf of Tonkin between South China and Vietnam, the forecaster said. Authorities warned of heavy rain and strong winds across southern China.The storm earlier passed near the Chinese territories of Hong Kong and Macau, where fierce winds woke residents during the night, schools and flights were canceled and many businesses were closed. Residents had been stockpiling food and other supplies, while businesses taped their windows and lined sandbags along entryways. Callan Williamson, 36, who moved to Hong Kong five years ago and works as a brand manager at a consulting firm, said Ragasa was the first major typhoon he had experienced. “I have had water coming through the kitchen window,” he said. The Hong Kong Observatory issued storm warning signal No. 10, the highest in its weather alert system, at 2:40 a.m. local time (2:40 p.m. ET Tuesday), an hour after it issued its second-highest warning signal, No. 9. At 1:20 p.m. local time (1:20 a.m. ET), the signal was lowered to No. 8, the city’s third-highest.Maximum sustained winds as high as 120 mph were recorded on the island of Lantau, home to Hong Kong’s international airport.Macau, a major gambling hub, also issued a No. 10 warning signal early Wednesday, and casinos were closed.Firefighters preparing to remove an uprooted tree after Typhoon Ragasa hit Hong Kong on Tuesday.Tommy Wang / AFP via Getty ImagesRagasa, which means “scramble” in Tagalog, brought heavy showers and major storm surge to Hong Kong, and members of the public were advised to stay indoors and stay away from the shoreline and low-lying areas. The observatory said the storm surge caused a general rise of almost 5 feet in water levels across the city.By late morning, the storm was leaving Hong Kong, a densely populated international financial hub of 7.5 million, though hurricane-force winds persisted.The Hong Kong stock exchange was open after changing its policy last year to continue trading regardless of weather conditions.Hong Kong government officials said more than 800 people had sought refuge at dozens of temporary shelters. As of 3 p.m. local time (3 a.m. ET), there were 82 reported injuries, 700 reports of fallen trees, one reported landslide and 16 reports of flooding.In one incident, huge waves crashed through the glass doors of the oceanfront Fullerton Hotel on the south side of Hong Kong Island, flooding the ground-floor lobby and sweeping people off their feet, according to videos posted on social media that were verified by NBC News. Calls to the hotel were not answered on Wednesday.Elsewhere, CCTV video showed a succession of waves bursting through the doors of a restaurant in the Tseung Kwan O neighborhood in the New Territories, sending furniture afloat. The observatory said that as of 4 p.m. local time (4 a.m. ET), the storm was centered about 130 miles west-southwest of Hong Kong. It was forecast to continue moving west at about 14 mph as it approached the west coast of China’s Guangdong province, where it was expected to make landfall.On Tuesday, mainland Chinese officials elevated the typhoon emergency response to Level III in Guangdong, the country’s most populous province at more than 125 million people, as well as in the island province of Hainan. More than 1 million people had been evacuated from Guangdong as of Tuesday afternoon, Chinese state media reported.More than 10 cities in Guangdong have suspended classes, business operations and public transport, including high-speed trains, and flights have been canceled at major regional airports including in the cities of Guangzhou and Shenzhen.Officials had said Ragasa could be even more destructive than Typhoon Hato in 2017 and Typhoon Mangkhut in 2018, which caused hundreds of millions of dollars in direct economic losses to the region.Hong Kong has experienced unusually severe rainfall this year, including four black rainstorms — the city’s highest tier of heavy rain — within eight days from late July to early August. On Aug. 5, the Hong Kong Observatory recorded more than 14.5 inches of rain, the highest daily rainfall in August since records began in 1884.Jennifer JettJennifer Jett is the Asia Digital Editor for NBC News, based in Hong Kong.Peter GuoPeter Guo is an associate producer based in Hong Kong.Jay GanglaniJay Ganglani is NBC News’s 2025-26 Asia Desk Fellow. Previously he was an NBC News Asia Desk intern and a Hong Kong-based freelance journalist who has contributed to news publications such as CNN, Fortune and the South China Morning Post.Jean Lee, Matteo Moschella and Larissa Gao contributed.
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