U.S. is launching an "illegal assault" and an act of aggression against a sovereign nation without proper authorization from Congress or a credible national security threat. The U.S. has not released an internal legal memo justifying these specific military actions. Preceding Events: This follows months of escalating pressure, including a naval blockade, the seizure of sanctioned oil tankers, increased bounties for Maduro's arrest, and authorization of covert CIA action inside Venezuela. legality of this action is under intense scrutiny and debate: Congressional Authorization: Critics and legal experts have noted that Trump did not receive congressional authorization for the military strike. Under the U.S. Constitution, only Congress has the power to declare war. International Law: Legal experts have characterized the assault and capture as an "illegal assault" and "unjustifiable aggression". Maduro previously accused the U.S. of "military aggression" and warned that such actions constitute "piracy" under international law. U.S. Legal Justification: The Trump administration previously designated Maduro’s regime as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and accused him of heading a drug cartel (specifically the "Cartel of the Suns"), framing the military actions as counter-narcotics and counter-terror operations. Targeting and Bounties: In August 2025, the U.S. doubled the reward for information leading to Maduro's capture to $50 million, following a 2020 indictment by the Department of Justice on narco-terrorism and corruption charges. Beloud