US has used claims of a ‘war on drugs’ to justify its attacks, which have resulted in 83 deaths that the UN has called extrajudicial executions
Amid growing tensions between Washington and Caracas, the US has gathered its largest military presence in the Caribbean since the 1989 invasion of Panama.
Donald Trump’s administration has steadily increased pressure on Venezuela’s leader, Nicolás Maduro, accusing him of running the “Cartel of the Suns” drug-trafficking organization, and placing a $50m bounty on his head.
The US leader has been opaque about his intentions and Trump says he is keeping all options on the table – from a military intervention to a negotiated exit for Maduro.
US officials in Washington DC have briefed that a “new phase” in the operation was about to begin, and on Saturday several international airlines cancelled flights to and from Venezuela after the US Federal Aviation Administration urged civilian aircraft to “exercise caution” due to the “worsening security situation and heightened military activity” in or around the country.
