Amid rising tensions between Washington and Caracas, the US has assembled its largest military force in the Caribbean since the 1989 Panama invasion, but some observers have predicted that America’s first moves will be ‘covert.’
The Trump administration has intensified pressure on Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, accusing him of heading the “Cartel of the Suns” and offering a $50 million bounty for his capture. Trump has remained vague about his plans, insisting that all options—from military intervention to a negotiated winding down—remain open.
US officials have hinted that a new phase of operations is imminent, and international airlines have cancelled flights to Venezuela following FAA warnings about increased military activity. The US designation of the Cartel de los Soles as a terrorist organisation took effect on Monday.
Venezuela’s military has dismissed the allegations against Maduro as lies designed to justify an unlawful foreign intervention. Analysts argue that the so-called cartel is not a traditional drug organisation but a term describing how Maduro enables criminal groups to maintain power.
Even so, some observers believe the terrorist label could give the US legal justification for an attack. In recent weeks, the US has used the “war on drugs” narrative to defend its expanding military presence, beginning with a September strike on a boat that killed 11 people.
Since then, more attacks on vessels have killed dozens more, drawing condemnation as extrajudicial executions and raising concerns over the lack of evidence that the boats carried drugs. A poll published on Sunday showed that 70 percent of Americans oppose the US taking military action in Venezuela.
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