Overview
- State Department will designate the Cártel de los Soles as a Foreign Terrorist Organization on November 24, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio alleging Maduro and senior officials lead it, a claim Caracas rejects.
- The USS Gerald R. Ford spearheaded nearly a dozen U.S. Navy ships and about 12,000 personnel into the region under Operation Lanza del Sur, marking the largest U.S. presence there in generations.
- U.S. forces reported another strike on a suspected drug boat in the eastern Pacific, bringing the tally to 21 attacks and at least 83 people killed since September, with no public evidence provided linking targets to narcoterrorism.
- President Trump said the FTO designation permits action against Maduro-linked assets or infrastructure inside Venezuela but emphasized no such decision has been made, adding he has ‘in a way’ decided next steps.
- Venezuela ordered a ‘permanent vigil’ and mobilizations as its leaders condemn U.S. maneuvers, while regional partners conduct exercises with U.S. forces and critics question the legality and risks of escalation.