Overview
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the State Department intends to designate Venezuela-based Cartel de los Soles as a Foreign Terrorist Organization on November 24, asserting Nicolás Maduro leads the group.
- The USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group has arrived in the Caribbean as U.S. Southern Command confirmed a November 15 lethal strike on a suspected narcotics vessel in the Eastern Pacific.
- Since September, officials have acknowledged roughly 20 to 21 strikes on small boats accused of drug trafficking, with more than 80 people reported killed and limited public detail on evidence for targets.
- President Donald Trump said he may hold discussions with Maduro, has not decided on direct strikes inside Venezuela according to U.S. officials, and would not rule out deploying ground forces.
- Trump said he would be "OK" with conducting anti-drug strikes inside Mexico, while recent Senate efforts to restrict his military authority over the operation failed to pass.