For a smartphone user on the ground in Caracas, this interference might just mean a slow map load. For an aircraft cruising at 30,000 feet, the implications are far more severe.

WASHINGTON, Nov 22 (Reuters) - The United States is poised to launch a new phase of Venezuela-related operations in the coming days, four U.S. officials told Reuters, as the Trump administration escalates pressure on President Nicolas Maduro's government.

A key move was Washington's formal designation of the Cartel de los Soles, a network it alleges is deeply tied to top Venezuelan officials, as a terrorist organization, which came into effect on Monday. Venezuela called the label a "ridiculous scheme" intended to justify an unlawful intervention in Venezuela.

The Trump administration has accused Maduro of heading the Cartel of the Suns, which it has now added to its terrorist designations list, describing is as a centrally coordinated criminal operation that supports Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel as well as Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang, both of which the US has also designated as terrorist groups.

As US military activity ramps up in the Caribbean and the Pacific, Colombia’s president alleged the Trump administration’s pressure campaign on Venezuela is more about accessing the South American country’s oil than fighting drug trafficking.

WASHINGTON -- The most advanced U.S. aircraft carrier is expected to reach the waters off Venezuela in days, a flex of American military power not seen in Latin America for generations.

Here is a timeline of the deteriorating relations between Venezuela and the US since Trump started his second term in January 2025 – and how Washington’s approach towards the South American nation since the late 1990s has led to this moment.

The United States on Monday formally designated Cartel de los Soles a foreign terrorist organization, layering additional terrorism-related sanctions on the group it has said includes Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and other high-ranking officials.