Overview
- Washington formally listed the alleged Venezuelan-linked network as a Foreign Terrorist Organization on Monday, enabling asset freezes and material-support penalties, according to the coverage.
- CNN reporting notes the designation broadens legal tools for sanctions but does not itself authorize the use of lethal force.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the step provides a range of new operational options and that daily briefings are assessing next steps.
- U.S. military pressure has intensified, with a B-52 flight tracked near Venezuela and ongoing maritime interdictions that have resulted in at least 83 deaths since September, Axios reported.
- An Axios-sourced U.S. official said a direct Trump–Maduro phone call is in the planning phase with no date set, while Venezuela’s Foreign Ministry categorically rejected the U.S. allegations and the terror label.