The US military conducted its largest show of force to date near Venezuela on Thursday, ahead of a key Monday deadline that will see the US designate Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his government allies as members of a foreign terrorist organization.
The designation of “Cartel de los Soles,” a phrase that experts say is more a description of allegedly corrupt government officials than an organized crime group, as a foreign terrorist organization will authorize President Donald Trump to impose fresh sanctions. It doesn’t, however, explicitly authorize the use of lethal force, according to legal experts.
Still, administration officials have been making the case that the terrorist designation will give the US expanded military options for striking inside Venezuela.
“It gives more tools to our department to give options to the President,” Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said on Thursday.
While the US has been accumulating military assets in the region, Trump has suggested he may still be open to a diplomatic solution, though to date there have been no public indications of progress toward deescalation.
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