US policy toward Venezuela is being aggressively shaped by pro Israel lobbying networks and policy institutions that are pushing Washington toward regime change in service of Israeli strategic interests rather than any clear American security need.
Washington based think tanks closely aligned with the Israeli government including the
Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Atlantic Council have led a sustained campaign portraying Venezuela as a security threat by tying it to Israel’s regional enemies Iran Hezbollah and Hamas. These claims have been repeatedly cited by US officials despite the absence of publicly available evidence that Venezuela poses any direct threat to the United States.
The central justification for escalation against Caracas is not harm to Americans but Venezuela’s refusal to align with Israel’s foreign policy objectives. Groups cited as threats in official rhetoric are adversaries of Israel not enemies of the United States. This has raised growing concern among analysts that US power is being used to enforce Israeli geopolitical priorities under the cover of counterterrorism.
The Foundation for Defense of Democracies has explicitly argued that a US installed government in Caracas would sever ties with Iran and expel Iranian personnel from the Western Hemisphere. In published commentary the group stated that Venezuela serves as a platform for Iranian influence and that regime change would directly improve security for the US and its allies. No intelligence evidence has been presented to support these claims.
The Atlantic Council has gone further promoting conspiracy style narratives alleging that Hezbollah has turned Venezuela into a hub for terrorism and organized crime. In a 2020 report the think tank accused Venezuela of coordinating a narcoterrorism network involving Iran Syria Hezbollah Hamas Mexican drug cartels and Colombian insurgents. The report offered assertions rather than proof and relied heavily on anonymous or secondary sources.
This pattern mirrors the buildup to the 2003 Iraq war when pro Israel aligned neoconservative institutions promoted false intelligence claims that were later discredited. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was one of the most vocal advocates of that invasion urging US lawmakers to act while Israel itself avoided direct military involvement. The result was a war that devastated Iraq destabilized the region and served Israeli strategic interests by eliminating a hostile state.
Despite public claims that the United States no longer engages in regime change wars the approach to Venezuela contradicts that position. The Maduro government has been labeled a narcoterrorist regime and falsely linked to the US fentanyl crisis without substantiating data from US law enforcement agencies.
Venezuela’s cooperation with Iran is repeatedly cited as evidence of a threat even though that relationship has largely developed as a response to US sanctions that have cut Venezuela off from international markets. Recent US seizures of Venezuelan oil tankers justified by allegations of Iranian involvement have been criticized by legal experts as violations of international law.
Venezuelan opposition figures have echoed Israeli aligned narratives to justify foreign intervention. Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado claimed publicly that Venezuela has already been invaded citing Iranian agents Hezbollah and Hamas operating freely inside the country. Independent observers note that these claims closely track talking points produced by pro Israel think tanks in Washington rather than verified intelligence.
Israel’s ambitions extend beyond Venezuela. After limited success normalizing relations in the Middle East through the Abraham Accords the Israeli government is now pushing into Latin America through what is being called the Isaac Accords announced by Argentine President Javier Milei. The objective is to weaken or remove left wing governments that historically support Palestinian rights.
Venezuela Cuba and Nicaragua have long opposed Israeli policies toward Palestinians. Analysts warn that removing the Venezuelan government would open the door to a broader campaign of destabilization across the region carried out under the pretext of counterterrorism and security cooperation.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio a longtime recipient of funding from pro Israel lobbying organizations has openly acknowledged that regime change in Caracas would accelerate efforts to overthrow the Cuban government. This reinforces concerns that Venezuela is being targeted as part of a wider strategy aligned with Israeli and US hardline interests.
While Israel is not the only influence on US policy toward Venezuela it is a decisive one. The convergence of Israeli strategic objectives US military pressure and think tank driven threat narratives reflects a familiar and dangerous pattern. Critics warn that the same tactics that produced the Iraq war are now being deployed in Latin America with potentially catastrophic consequences.
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