Members of US Congress were allegedly briefed about a looming conflict, the journalist has claimed

Conservative US journalist Tucker Carlson has suggested that President Donald Trump could be preparing to announce military action on Venezuelan soil, while stressing that his information is limited and unconfirmed.

Asked on the Judge Napolitano podcast on Wednesday whether Trump was "going to start a war in Venezuela," Carlson said he had been told by a member of Congress that lawmakers were briefed about a potential conflict, possibly to be announced in a presidential address later the same day.

"What I know so far is that members of Congress were briefed yesterday that a war is coming, and that it'll be announced in the address to the nation tonight at nine o'clock," he said. "Who knows if that will actually happen? I don't know."

Trump is due to deliver the address at 9pm ET (2am GMT) to highlight what he described as the problems inherited from his predecessor. "Well, I think the message this evening is: We inherited a mess," Trump told reporters on Wednesday. "And we've done a great job. We continue to. And our country is going to be stronger than ever before very soon."

Carlson emphasized that he does not hold any official position, adding that while he had spoken to multiple people about the issue, he could not independently verify the claims. "I never want to overstate what I know, which is pretty limited in general," he said.

Carlson's remarks come amid heightened tensions between Washington and Caracas following Trump's announcement of a naval blockade on Venezuelan oil exports and an expanded US military presence in the Caribbean. The administration has accused Venezuela of harboring drug traffickers and "narcoterrorists," allegations the Venezuelan government has repeatedly denied.

Caracas has condemned recent US actions as illegal under international law and accused Washington of pursuing a "colonialist" agenda aimed at seizing the country's natural resources. Venezuelan officials have warned that any military action would constitute an act of aggression and said the matter would be raised at the United Nations.