The United States is reportedly weighing ground attacks in Venezuela and Colombia, according to statements by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham. According to the representative, U.S. President Donald Trump could inform Congress, upon his return from Asia, about possible operations.
The inclusion of Colombia among the targets of the U.S. military deployment in the Caribbean would seek to expand the anti-narcotics campaign that the Trump administration has been carrying out for several weeks in international waters of the Caribbean Sea and, more recently, also in the Pacific Ocean.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro responded to the U.S. senator’s threats by assuring that, if attacked, his country would know how to defend itself.
US reportedly weighing possible ground operations in Venezuela and Colombia
The United States is reportedly considering expanding its attacks on vessels denounced as alleged drug boats through ground operations in Venezuela, but also in Colombia, according to what a Republican congressman from South Carolina told media outlets in that country.
“President Trump told me yesterday that he plans to brief members of Congress, upon his return from Asia, about possible future military operations against Venezuela and Colombia,” Graham said in an interview on CBS’s Face The Nation.
In the interview, the member of Congress was emphatic in stating that the U.S. government is studying the possibility of including Colombia in potential attacks which, if carried out, would open a deep regional crisis, as they would mean attacking a democratic and sovereign country — going beyond the current rhetoric that has focused on the alleged connection between Maduro’s government in Venezuela and drug trafficking.
These revelations come after weeks of deteriorating relations between Washington and Bogota which, following the U.S. decertification of Colombia’s anti-narcotics efforts under President Petro in mid-September, have faced successive crises — culminating in the withdrawal of the U.S. visa from the Colombian president himself and his inclusion on the so-called Clinton List.
US defends legitimacy of its anti-narcotics military operations in the Caribbean
In this context, Rep. Lindsey Graham defended Washington’s decision to attack boats allegedly carrying drugs — attacks that have resulted in the deaths of most of their crew members — and maintained that President Trump has full authority to order the sinking of such vessels as part of his war on drug trafficking.
“He has all the authority in the world. This is not murder. This is protecting the United States from being poisoned by narco-terrorists from Venezuela and Colombia,” the senator told the U.S. outlet.
The U.S. military has reported the sinking of at least 10 vessels with around 43 people on board since the Trump administration began its attacks in early September. It is worth recalling that one Colombian national was injured in these attacks. His relatives — and the Petro government — insist that he was fishing in open Caribbean waters and deny any link to drug trafficking activities.
‘The Colombian people arm themselves,’ Petro responds
For his part, President Petro condemned these threats to Colombian sovereignty and reacted to Senator Graham’s statements by asserting that if Colombia is attacked, it will choose to defend itself.
“The U.S. senator forgets one thing about our specific history, which is not that of Venezuela: Every time the Colombian people are attacked somewhere, they go en masse to the mountains, they arm themselves, and their warriors become invisible and act like the jaguar — with passionate attraction — and they vanish. Something never seen before,” he said.
At the same time, he urged Washington not to attempt a military operation on Colombian territory, making reference to Palestine. “Don’t try it — that’s my only advice — because I know my people’s history, and I am their son, a legitimate son of my people, an ancient warrior with Roman ancestry who was in Palestine. We speak — but woe to the one who betrays, woe to the foreigner who dares to be a tyrant and doesn’t understand us, neither in our dance nor in our words,” he added.
Se le olvida una cosa al senador estadounidense de nuestra história específica, que no la de Venezuela, y es que el pueblo colombiano cada vez que es agredido en alguna parte, se va en masa a las montañas y se arma y sus guerreros son invisibles y actúan como el jaguar con la… https://t.co/xxfHfEQDv1
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) October 27, 2025
Who is Senator Lindsey Graham?
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham is one of the most veteran and influential figures in the Republican Party in the United States. Born in South Carolina in 1955, a lawyer by training and a former member of the military, Graham has served as senator for his state since 2003, after a long career in the House of Representatives. Over more than two decades in Congress, he has built a reputation as a pragmatic politician, a skilled negotiator, and, often, a controversial figure for his strategic shifts.
For much of his career, Graham was considered a moderate Republican, close to the late Senator John McCain, with whom he shared critical positions toward the party’s more radical factions. He has historically advocated for an interventionist foreign policy, strong defense spending, and U.S. global leadership — stances that have earned him the respect of the more traditional wing of the Republican establishment.
However, his public image changed dramatically after Donald Trump arrived at the White House. Initially one of Trump’s fiercest critics, Graham later became one of his most loyal allies, defending his administration and echoing several of his arguments on foreign policy, immigration, and justice. That shift has brought him both support and criticism, inside and outside the party, leading some analysts to describe him as a politician who has skillfully adapted to the currents of Republican power.
Today, Graham remains a key voice in the Senate, especially on issues of national security and foreign relations. His support for strong stances toward regimes such as Iran, Venezuela, and Russia reaffirms his role as a defender of U.S. military power amid a context of growing international tension.
Related: Oxford Economics Downplays the Impact of Ending US Aid to Colombia.