By Amira El-FekkiShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberRecent satellite images show the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group in the Caribbean Sea, south of Puerto Rico. Open-source intelligence analysts on X say the fleet has been gradually moving south, closer to Venezuela.
The U.S. is reportedly preparing a new phase of operations against Venezuela.
Why It Matters
Tensions in the region are escalating as the U.S. has ramped up pressure on Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro, whom Washington does not consider as a legitimate leader, deploying naval and air assets in the Caribbean and signaling readiness for further measures against his government.
The U.S. announced the intention to designate the Cartel de los Soles as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, effective on Monday. The designation comes as the U.S. has escalated a campaign against drug trafficking. At least 80 people have been killed in boat strikes, including Venezuelan nationals for alleged drug trafficking.
...What To Know
The carrier strike group includes the flagship USS Gerald R. Ford, along with the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers USS Winston S. Churchill, USS Mahan, and USS Bainbridge. Aboard the Ford, F/A‑18E/F Super Hornets from four fighter squadrons are operating alongside a U.S. Air Force B‑52 Stratofortress.
...Puerto Rico has emerged as a key base for U.S. military operations in the Caribbean, hosting multiple exercises this week to project regional presence and readiness. General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is scheduled to visit troops there Monday.
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The Cartel de los Soles Cartel of the Suns is a term used to describe a drug-trafficking organization allegedly linked to high-ranking members of Venezuela’s military and government.
On Friday, Venezuela’s Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López spoke on state TV, calling recent U.S. military exercises in Trinidad and Tobago an aggression against the dignity of the Venezuelan people, according to media reports.
U.S. officials told Reuters Sunday that Washington is preparing a new phase of operations targeting Venezuela in the coming days. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told One America News that the terrorist designation gives the U.S. a "whole bunch" of options and that nothing "is off the table."
What People Are Saying
Venezuela's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in Monday statement, according to AFP: "Venezuela categorically, firmly, and absolutely rejects the new and ridiculous lie from the Secretary of the Department of State, Marco Rubio, who designates the alleged Cartel of the Suns as a terrorist organization…to justify an illegitimate and illegal intervention against Venezuela."
Venezuela’s Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López said Friday, according to La Nación, a Venezuelan news outlet, in Spanish: "We strongly reject maneuvers, exercises and deployments in our nearby area of interest in Venezuela. Enough of the threats."
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said about Maduro in an interview with One America News Network on November 20: “He's [Maduro] involved in trafficking and he’s indicted. It gives more tools to our department to give options to the president.”
What Happens Next
With international airlines increasingly canceling flights to Venezuela on Sunday, a heightened military activity near the South American country could prompt additional flight suspensions amid the rising tensions.
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