In a phone interview with NBC News, U.S. President Donald Trump said he was leaving the possibility of war with Venezuela on the table; he declined to say whether ousting Maduro was his ultimate goal, saying, “He knows exactly what I want” (NBC)
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio decried the status quo with the Maduro government as “intolerable” as the Trump administration announced new sanctions on family members of the Venezuelan leader (CNN)
Trump Not Opposed to Notifying Congress Before Land Strikes
President Donald Trump said he “wouldn’t mind” notifying Congress before authorizing a land attack targeting drug cartels in Venezuela, but insisted he doesn’t have to, citing the possibility of leaks (CNN)
Responses to U.S. Threats Against Venezuela
Brazil and Mexico both offered to mediate tensions between the United States and Venezuela after Trump announced a naval blockade on sanctioned ships entering and leaving the South American country (Al Jazeera;Anadolu Agency)
Venezuela requested that the UN Security Council hold an emergency meeting over recent U.S. actions (NYT)
Some sanctioned oil vessels have avoided Venezuela following Trump’s threat (AP)
Trump Orders Blockade of Sanctioned Oil Tankers
Trump said the naval blockade would apply to sanctioned oil tankers coming to and from Venezuela and characterized the country’s government as a foreign terrorist organization (NYT)
His announcement, posted on social media, also claimed that Venezuela stole oil and land from the United States, called President Nicolás Maduro’s administration illegitimate, and said it was using stolen oil to finance activities like drug and human trafficking (Truth Social)
In spite of Trump’s social media post, it is the State Department and not the White House that has the authority to legally designate Venezuela as a foreign terrorist organization; it has never done so for any foreign country, and did not immediately comment following Trump’s social media post (WaPo)
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez called Trump’s post a violation of international law and pledged to denounce it at the United Nations (Instagram)
U.S. Military Strikes Three More Boats
U.S. Southern Command said the strikes killed eight people across the three alleged drug smuggling boats (CBS)
Meanwhile, President Trump declared illegal fentanyl and its core precursor chemicals to be weapons of mass destruction in an executive order; he directed agencies to probe and prosecute fentanyl trafficking, and to consider devoting military resources to the problem (White House)
New U.S. Sanctions Targeting Venezuela
The United States sanctioned three of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s family members, six shipping companies, and six ships, calling them part of a network that supports Venezuela’s “narco-terrorist regime” (Treasury)
The move follows yesterday’s seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker off the country’s coast (X)
United States Seizes Oil Tanker Near Venezuela
The tanker was being used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran, Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote on social media; Bondi wrote that the tanker had been sanctioned for multiple years due to its involvement in the illicit transport of oil for foreign terrorist organizations (X)
Asked at a White House event what would happen to the oil aboard, U.S. President Donald Trump replied the United States would likely keep it (Reuters)
The crew did not resist the seizure, which was carried out with no casualties, three unnamed U.S. officials told the New York Times; they said more seizures could occur in the coming weeks as part of an effort to strip Venezuela of its oil revenue (NYT)
Venezuela’s government called the incident “an act of international piracy,” vowing to denounce it to international bodies (AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin called Maduro shortly after the strikes to express his support for the Venezuelan government and to commit to continued expansion of bilateral ties (Bloomberg)
Separately, Ana Corina Sosa Machado, daughter of Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo today on her mother’s behalf (NPR)
She delivered a speech written by María Corina that celebrated the history of Venezuelan democracy and the struggle to regain it in recent years; she called democracy a “deliberate, personal choice” that “must be renewed every day” (Nobel Prize)
Following uncertainty over whether María Corina—who has been in hiding—would travel to Oslo, the Nobel Institute confirmed earlier today she was safe and “will be with us in Oslo,” but would not attend the ceremony (Nobel Prize)
Push for New War Powers Resolution
Senators opposed to the U.S. campaign in Venezuela plan to reintroduce a war powers resolution restricting the White House’s actions, as President Donald Trump suggests he is considering a deployment of U.S. ground troops to the country (Politico)
Additionally, Trump told Politico in an interview published Tuesday that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s “days are numbered,” the latest indication that the United States hopes to oust him (Politico)
Meanwhile, two U.S. Navy jets flew a half-hour training mission over the Gulf of Venezuela, remaining in international airspace but marking the closest U.S. warplanes have come to the country during the current pressure campaign (AP)
National Security Officials Brief Congress on Venezuela Campaign
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Joint Chiefs Chair General Dan Caine, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will speak with top lawmakers as scrutiny intensifies over a follow-up strike on a suspected drug vessel with unarmed survivors (WaPo)
Lawmakers are threatening to withhold travel funds from Hegseth if he refuses to release the video of the strike (BBC)
Admiral Alvin Holsey, who will retire early as commander of U.S. Southern Command, also briefed lawmakers in a separate call (AP)
Meanwhile, a Cuban official denied media reports last week that it had communicated with U.S. officials about the prospects of an overthrow of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, adding that Havana continues to reject the U.S. campaign (Reuters)
New National Security Strategy Emphasizes Western Hemisphere
Trump’s new strategy devotes the bulk of its attention to the Western Hemisphere, where it aims to reduce migration, fight crime, and preserve access to critical supply chains; it reasserts the 19th-century Monroe Doctrine, rejecting external influence in the region (White House)
Separately, Pentagon officials showed a closed-door meeting of lawmakers video footage of a controversial follow-up action on September 2 that followed an initial U.S. strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean (NYT)
After the first strike killed nine passengers, two survivors were trying unsuccessfully to flip over a portion of the capsized boat when the second strike killed them, multiple media outlets reported (WaPo)
Republican lawmakers praised the Pentagon’s actions, while Democrats said the video confirmed their concerns about the strike being improper (AP)
Lawmakers examined an overview of the Pentagon directive governing U.S. strikes on the drug vessels, as they scrutinize the legality of the military campaign (PBS)
Meanwhile, the U.S. military conducted another strike in the region today, targeting an alleged drug boat and killing four individuals (Reuters)
Talks With Maduro
Brazilian billionaire Joesley Batista flew to Caracas last week to try to persuade Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to step down, Bloomberg reported; the Trump administration was reportedly aware of Batista’s actions, though the Batista family holding company said he was not acting as a representative of any government (Bloomberg)
Batista personally mediated bilateral tensions between Trump and the Brazilian government earlier this year (Reuters)
Trump’s Warning of Strikes
The United States will begin land strikes on alleged drug traffickers “very soon,” Trump said at a cabinet meeting (C-Span)
He did not specify which country or armed group he was referring to, though his comments echoed his previous threats to target alleged Venezuelan drug traffickers on land (CNN)
Until now, Trump’s military campaign in Latin America has focused its firepower on sea targets (CFR)
A bipartisan group of senators said they would move to force a vote to block military action if the Trump administration launches an attack inside Venezuela without congressional authorization (Reuters)
Trump Discusses Venezuela Policy With Advisors
There was no immediate policy announcement after the meeting, though for weeks U.S. officials and Trump himself have suggested their anti-drug campaign in the region could include military action inside Venezuela (CNN)
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has accused Washington of trying to oust him (Sky News)
Citing four unnamed sources, Reuters reported that Trump held a call last month with Maduro that included discussion of a potential deal for Maduro to leave power, though Trump reportedly rejected the terms sought by Maduro (Reuters)
Maduro—whose latest election was disputed—denounced U.S. policy as a form of colonialism at a Caracas rally attended by thousands (Al Jazeera)
Meanwhile, the administration is increasingly fielding questions from both Democratic and Republican lawmakers over the killing of survivors of a boat strike on September 2 (Politico)
The White House said that U.S. Navy Admiral Frank Mitchell Bradley conducted the strikes (White House)
While the Pentagon’s manual on the law of war says that “orders to fire upon the shipwrecked would be clearly illegal,” the White House press secretary both denied that Hegseth gave such an order and claimed that Bradley acted legally (DoD)
U.S. military presence around Latin America now includes some fifteen thousand troops and the largest U.S. aircraft carrier (NPR)
Venezuelan Inquiry Into U.S. Strikes
Venezuela’s National Assembly said it will launch a parliamentary investigation into U.S. operations targeting vessels linked to alleged drug smuggling near Venezuelan waters, amid reports claiming survivors of a September strike were deliberately killed in a follow-up attack (Reuters)
In the United States, bipartisan calls increased to examine U.S. military operations after these claims, with House and Senate armed services leaders opening formal inquiries (AP)
Additionally, Trump told reporters that he had spoken directly to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, though he provided no further details (C-Span)
The New York Times reported the conversation occurred the week of November 17 (NYT)
When reporters asked whether his social media post yesterday—suggesting airlines should treat Venezuelan airspace as closed—implied imminent airstrikes, Trump responded that people should not “read anything into it” (CNN)
WaPo: Hegseth Authorized Killing of All Passengers on Caribbean Boat
The September 2 incident included more than one strike, and the Post report prompted pledges from lawmakers to investigate what happened (WaPo)
Venezuelan authorities have accelerated intelligence activity in Sucre, the home state of many of the suspected drug traffickers killed in recent U.S. strikes; the Venezuelan government did not explain the aim of these tightened security measures, though families of those killed reported home searches and questioning from security agents (Reuters)
Separately, Trinidad and Tobago’s prime minister acknowledged that U.S. Marines are operating at Tobago’s airport to improve surveillance infrastructure after previously saying no American troops remained in the country, which analysts suggest Washington may use as a base for operations against Venezuela (AP)
Trump Again Hints at Land Strikes
U.S. President Donald Trump said the United States plans to move beyond maritime interdictions and begin targeting suspected drug networks operating on Venezuelan territory, as the U.S. regional military buildup continues (Reuters)
Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth visited the USS Gerald R. Ford, which remains in the Caribbean (Department of Defense)
U.S. Military Chief Visits Caribbean
General Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, toured U.S. forces stationed in Puerto Rico and aboard a Navy warship amid an expanded regional U.S. footprint, as President Donald Trump considers escalating military action against Venezuela (AP)
In Washington, the United States formally designated the Cartel de los Soles as a terror organization after indicating last week that it would do so, claiming the group is linked to senior Venezuelan officials; Caracas dismissed the move as fabricated and politically motivated (Reuters)
Six Airlines Indefinitely Suspend Flights to Venezuela
The president of the Airlines Association in Venezuela said the decision was made after the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a warning Friday regarding potential military activity (AP)
The FAA warned pilots of “heightened military activity in or around Venezuela” that could pose risks to aircraft “at all altitudes” (FAA)
Washington has been moving military assets to the region for months (CFR)
U.S. officials also said Washington is moving towards a new phase in its campaign against the Venezuelan government over the next few days, beginning with new, expanded covert measures, with the complete overthrow of President Nicolás Maduro remaining under consideration (Reuters)
U.S. War Game on Venezuela
U.S. officials conducted an exercise during Trump’s first term simulating what would happen if Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was deposed, the New York Times reported; it forecast a violent period in which rival political factions and guerrilla groups fought for control of the country (NYT)
Maduro has said he believes the U.S. military buildup in Latin America aims to oust him (Reuters)
Separately, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested that Washington’s labeling of the Cartel de los Soles as a foreign terrorist organization, which it alleges is tied to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, opens new legal avenues for U.S. military action; the designation followed U.S. claims that the cartel collaborates with the Tren de Aragua gang to traffic drugs (Reuters)
Trump Signals Openness to Talks With Maduro
U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington may initiate discussions with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro even as the United States ramped up military pressure in the Caribbean and designated Cartel de los Soles as a foreign terrorist organization, accusing Maduro of heading it (Reuters)
The U.S. military also announced that it conducted a new airstrike in the eastern Pacific, killing three alleged drug traffickers (CBS/AP)
The USS Gerald R. Ford arrived in the Caribbean Sea, prompting further speculation about an increase in U.S. intervention (Politico)
White House Meetings on Venezuela
Senior U.S. officials met repeatedly this week to review potential military options in Venezuela, while U.S. President Donald Trump said he has “largely made up his mind” on next steps, as legal experts and allies question the legitimacy of regional military operations (Reuters)
Trump Administration Ramping up Counternarcotics Campaign in Latin America
Hegseth said that Operation Southern Spear aims to “remov[e] terrorists from our hemisphere” and defend the United States from drugs, while multiple outlets reported the Pentagon conducted its twentieth deadly strike in recent weeks on an alleged drug boat (X;CBS)
Southern Spear will deploy robotic and autonomous systems to boost its counternarcotics efforts, Naval Commander Foster Edwards told the Miami Herald; the Navy said it would use robotic interceptor boats and surveillance aircraft (Miami Herald)
Separately, the attorney general of Trinidad and Tobago told the Financial Times the United States planned to “intensify exercises” in his country (FT)
The escalation comes as the family of a Colombian man killed in a recent U.S. boat strike prepares legal action, the New York Times reported; the family of Colombian man Alejandro Carranza, killed in one of the September strikes, maintains he was a fisherman who sometimes took jobs piloting boats for other people (NYT)
Rubio Rejects Claims Against U.S. Campaign in Venezuela
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio refuted European concerns about the campaign’s legality and rejected reports that Britain had suspended some intelligence cooperation with the United States over those concerns (Reuters)
U.S. Strikes in the Eastern Pacific Kill Six
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the strike targeted two vessels linked to narcotics trafficking (Reuters)
Meanwhile, Colombia vowed to suspend all intelligence-sharing with the United States over Trump’s boat strikes near South America (X)
CNN and the Guardian reported the UK would also suspend some intelligence-sharing over the same concern; the UK controls several intelligence assets in the Caribbean (Guardian)
Unnamed sources told CNN that British officials believe the Trump administration’s strikes violate international law (CNN)
Amid Trump’s militarized anti-drug campaign, the Navy said that the United States’ largest aircraft carrier strike group had arrived in the region (U.S. Navy)
Reuters reported that the Venezuelan government is preparing a guerrilla-style response to a possible U.S. military attack, employing antiquated Russian military equipment as its conventional military suffers from shortages in firepower and funding (Reuters)
Spanish Raid Against Tren de Aragua
Spanish authorities arrested thirteen people across multiple cities suspected of being members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua crime group; the gang is among those the Trump administration recently designated as terrorist organizations (AP)
Many Venezuelans who have fled the country’s economic crisis in recent years have gone to Spain (Reuters)