Trump Suggests U.S. Forces Will Target Cartels in Mexico in Hannity Interview

Donald Trump said U.S. forces are preparing to attack cartels on land in an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News that aired Thursday night ... and it appeared he was suggesting Mexico was the target.

Discussing the recent Venezuela military operation that resulted in the arrest of President Nicolás Maduro, Trump told Hannity ... "We’ve knocked out 97 percent of the drugs coming in by water, and we are going to start now hitting land with regard to the cartels. The cartels are running Mexico."

POTUS' intention to invade Mexico is not new ... he said the idea of ordering strikes were on the table in November, according to NBC News.

Trump said then the United States would do "whatever we have to do" to stem the apparent flow of drugs into the country ... although he didn't say if he'd obtain the Mexican government's permission to conduct operations in Mexico. Mexico has rejected the idea outright.

Trump asserted he knew about the locations of all of the alleged major Mexican drug traffickers and described their actions as warlike -- and said he is more than willing to utilize physical intervention.