Overview
- Seven carriers have suspended routes to Venezuela after the FAA urged caution over the country’s airspace, including Iberia, TAP, Avianca, GOL, Latam, Caribbean, and Turkish, while Air Europa, Copa, and several Venezuelan airlines say they continue operating.
- The State Department is set to list the so‑called Cartel de los Soles as a Foreign Terrorist Organization on Monday, with Washington alleging Nicolás Maduro leads it and analysts noting the designation would expand U.S. legal and enforcement tools.
- U.S. forces have escalated regional operations since September, deploying a carrier strike group and conducting more than 20 strikes on suspected drug‑running boats that reports say have left over 80 people dead.
- Four U.S. officials told Reuters a “new phase” of operations related to Venezuela could begin soon, likely starting with covert actions, though timing and scope remain undecided.
- Venezuela rejects the accusations and calls the U.S. posture an aggression, as regional figures such as Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva voice concern and seek to head off a broader confrontation.