(NewsNation) — The Trump administration is taking its offensive against narco-terrorism and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to a new level.
On Monday, President Donald Trump named the Cartel de los Soles a “foreign terrorist organization” for its alleged role in bringing illegal drugs to the United States and accused Maduro of heading the cartel. Maduro denies the allegations.
The U.S. is also looking to launch a new phase of operations against Venezuela in the coming days. The scope of the operations was not made clear by the administration, but the military has built up a stream of ships and fighter jets in the Caribbean over the past few months.
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine is also in the Caribbean as of Monday, speaking to naval fleet commanders on the current operations against drug traffickers in the region.
Despite Maduro’s denial of those allegations, the U.S. is still putting significant firepower into play, including strike groups on the USS Gerald R. Ford and troops already stationed in the region, who NewsNation has learned have been told to be prepared to stay there through the holidays in case of escalation.
In its own right, Venezuela has upped its own defense forces and has carried out drills and put anti-air defense systems into combat-ready states. Venezuelan officials say they are “fully prepared” to engage in what they call “guerilla-esque warfare” if it should come to that point.
When asked how far he’s prepared to go, President Trump said he’s not ruling out any options.
However, a new poll shows at least 70% of Americans oppose the country taking any military action against Venezuela, and both Caracas and Washington have publicly said they hope to keep diplomatic lines of communication open.