Venezuela on Monday denounced the FTO designation against Cartel de los Soles, also known as Cartel of the Suns. The move was first proposed by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio <\/a>on Nov. 17.<\/p>\n Venezuela \u201ccategorically, firmly, and absolutely rejects the new and ridiculous fabrication by the United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who designates the nonexistent Cartel of the Suns as a terrorist organization,\u201d Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said Monday on Telegram<\/a>.\u00a0 The move rehashes \u201can infamous and vile lie to justify an illegitimate and illegal intervention against Venezuela, under the classic U.S. regime change format. This new maneuver will meet the same fate as previous and recurrent aggressions against our country: failure.\u201d<\/p>\n \ud83d\udea8\ud83d\udcdb R\u00e9gimen de Maduro cuestiona la designaci\u00f3n del Cartel de los Soles<\/p>\n \ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea El canciller del r\u00e9gimen, Yv\u00e1n Gil, public\u00f3 un comunicado donde desestim\u00f3 con ataques y descalificaciones la reciente clasificaci\u00f3n del Cartel de los Soles como Organizaci\u00f3n Terrorista Extranjera por\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/zIoETJ4eam<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 EVTV (@EVTVMiami) November 24, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n You can catch up with our most recent coverage about what has been dubbed Operation Southern Spear<\/a> in our story here<\/a>.<\/p>\n In an interview last week<\/a>, Hegseth was pointedly vague about what the designation of Cartel De Los Soles means to potential U.S. military operations against Maduro. No decisions related to countering Maduro\u2019s cartel are \u201coff the table,\u201d Hegseth explained, but \u201cnothing is automatically on the table,\u201d either.<\/p>\n On Sunday, however, Reuters reported<\/a> that the United States \u201cis poised to launch a new phase of Venezuela-related operations in the coming days.\u201d <\/p>\n It remains unknown what actions U.S. President Donald Trump will authorize; however, \u201ccovert operations would likely be the first part of the new action against Maduro,\u201d according to Reuters. \u201cTwo U.S. officials told Reuters the options under consideration included attempting to overthrow Maduro.\u201d<\/p>\n We\u2019ve reached out to the White House and Pentagon for more details. The Pentagon referred us to the White House.<\/p>\n As we noted before:<\/a> \u201cIf expanded strikes on land targets occur after the November 24th horizon, they could be limited to strictly cartel and drug production target sets that do not include state facilities. These could include labs, logistical nodes, such as port facilities, and cartel personnel. Striking military installations and other state infrastructure that the U.S. believes actively facilitate the drug trade would be a further escalation. Going directly after the Maduro regime and its military capabilities as a whole would be the farthest rung up the escalation ladder.\u201d<\/p>\n There was also reporting<\/a> that Trump administration officials discussed the possibility of dropping leaflets on Venezuela\u2019s capital city of Caracas as a kind of psychological warfare to pressure Maduro. However, it was suggested that the operation could take place on Maduro\u2019s 63rd birthday, which was Sunday. That did not happen.<\/p>\n Caine and his senior enlisted advisor, David L. Isom, are visiting Puerto Rico \u201cto engage with service members and thank them for their outstanding support to regional missions,\u201d the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. \u201cThey will also visit and thank Sailors operating at sea for their dedicated, unwavering service in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility.\u201d <\/p>\n His visit comes as the U.S. has assembled a considerable military presence.<\/p>\n There are currently 11 U.S. Navy surface combatants and four support vessels in the region, a U.S. Navy official told The War Zone on Monday. The official added that there are about 100 total U.S. Navy vessels deployed around the globe. That means about 15% of the Navy\u2019s deployed surface fleet is now in the Caribbean.<\/p>\n The collection of military might also includes a special operations mothership and an array of aerial assets like F-35B stealth fighters, MQ-9 Reaper drones, P-8 maritime patrol aircraft, and AC-130 Ghostrider gunships. There are also about 15,000 U.S. personnel deployed to the region. The massing of U.S. forces is a major presence for the region, but nothing like what we have seen for actual invasion or full-spectrum war operations.<\/p>\n While the timing of any potential military operation against Maduro remains publicly unknown, the increasingly tense situation is having a visible effect on civilian aviation. Several airlines have cancelled flights to and from Venezuela and as of Monday morning, the airspace around the South American nation was largely free of commercial aviation, according to the latest tracking by FlightRadar24<\/a>. U.S. air carriers have been prohibited from traveling to or from Venezuela<\/a> since 2019.<\/p>\n The cleared airspace follows the FAA issuing a Notice to Airmen <\/a>(NOTAM) on Friday, warning pilots about flying over or near Venezuela.<\/p>\n \u201cOperators are advised to exercise caution when operating in the Maiquetia Flight Information Region (SVZM FIR) at all altitudes due to the worsening security situation and heightened military activity in or around Venezuela,\u201d the NOTAM read. In effect until Feb 19, it also requires that U.S. civil aviation operators file at least a 72-hour notice before flying in the area.<\/p>\n The NOTAM was issued due to \u201can increase in Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) interference\u201d near Venezuela since September, the FAA stated on Friday<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Another factor was \u201cincreasing Venezuelan military readiness,\u201d the FAA added.<\/p>\n \u201cSome civil aircraft recently reported GNSS interference while transiting the SVZM FIR, which, in some cases, caused lingering effects throughout the flight,\u201d according to the FAA notice. \u201cGNSS jammers and spoofers can affect aircraft out to 250 nautical miles and can impact a wide variety of critical communication, navigation, surveillance, and safety equipment on aircraft.\u201d<\/p>\n Moreover, since early September, Venezuela \u201chas conducted multiple military exercises and directed the mass mobilization of thousands of military and reserve forces,\u201d the FAA explained. \u201cWhile Venezuela has at no point expressed an intent to target civil aviation, the Venezuelan military possesses advanced fighter aircraft<\/a> and multiple weapons systems capable of reaching or exceeding civil aircraft operating altitudes, as well as potential low-altitude risk from man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS) and anti-aircraft artillery.\u201d You can read more about Venezuela\u2019s air defenses in our deep dive here<\/a>.<\/p>\n The FAA added that it will \u201ccontinue to monitor the risk environment for U.S. civil aviation operating in the region and make adjustments, as appropriate, to safeguard U.S. civil aviation.\u201d<\/p>\n In addition to the NOTAM near Venezuela, the FAA on Friday also posted one extending from Curacao<\/a> deep out into the Caribbean. It runs through Dec. 31. This where the U.S. has bene operating at sea and in the air heavily, as well as where interactions with Venezuelan fighter aircraft and U.S. ships<\/a> have occurred. <\/p>\n \u201cAircraft operators are advised to exercise extreme caution when operating\u201d in the Curacao area,\u201d according to that NOTAM. \u201cFrequent pilot reports and primary radar within [the area] indicates the presence of non-identified aircraft operations\u2026Pilots are requested to report any unusual airborne activity immediately\u201d to air traffic control.<\/p>\n U.S. military aircraft are also frequently conducting training and probing exercises near Venezuela. A glaring example took place Nov. 20 during what U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) calls a \u201cbomber attack demo.\u201d It included\u00a0 B-52H Stratofortress crews from Minot Air Force Base, KC-135 aerial refueling tankers from MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, and fighter aircraft already deployed to the region.<\/p>\n \u201cOperation Southern Spear support showcases our vow to deter illicit drug networks & defend the homeland,\u201d SOUTHCOM said on X.<\/p>\n As we explained in an earlier story,<\/a> the B-52s \u201care capable of unleashing waves of standoff cruise missiles<\/a> and can carry a host of other conventional munitions that can be employed against targets on land and at sea<\/a>. Though the Venezuelan armed forces have limited air defense capabilities<\/a>, they could still pose a threat. Standoff strikes from aircraft like the B-52 and other assets would be a likely component of any future U.S. direct action against targets inside the country to help reduce risks to friendly forces. They could even target air defense systems to help clear the way for follow-on operations.\u201d<\/p>\n SOUTHCOM\u2019s statement followed our reporting <\/a>that U.S. aviation assets, including a U.S. Air Force RC-135V Rivet Joint electronic surveillance plane<\/a>, were \u201ctesting Venezuelan sensors and responses,\u201d a U.S. official told us last week. It was part of the pressure campaign to show U.S. capabilities in the Caribbean.\u201d<\/p>\n SOUTHCOM on Monday pushed back against a claim that it was restricting Thanksgiving and Christmas leave \u201cin preparation for possible land strikes in the next 10 days to two weeks.<\/p>\n \u201cOur service members and civilian employees are always afforded the opportunity to take leave throughout the year, and that includes holiday periods,\u201d a SOUTHCOM spokesperson told us Monday. \u201cThe American people can be assured that SOUTHCOM remains steadfast in its mission year-round to protect the security of the Western Hemisphere and the safety of the American Homeland.\u201d<\/p>\n \ud83d\udea8 SOUTHCOM is restricting \/ limiting leave over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, in preparation for possible land strikes in the next 10 days to two weeks, I am told by a source.<\/p>\n \u2014 Kellie Meyer (@KellieMeyerNews) November 24, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n As the world waits and wonders about Trump\u2019s next move, another aerial mission toward Venezuela could soon be in the offing. Flight trackers noticed a gathering of KC-46 Pegasus aerial refuelers at MacDill, which has become a domestic support hub for Southern Spear. Refuelers from MacDill, which normally only beds the KC-135s, have frequently provided gas to strategic bombers flying over the Caribbean. <\/p>\n RCH 020\/027\/024 (KC-46) repositioning to MacDill AFB this morning. Looks like these will be for refueling bombers on another Caribbean mission. pic.twitter.com\/dFGnYCCh2N<\/a><\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Ford-Caribbean.jpg\")
The U.S. Navy\u2019s Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group, including the flagship USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), left, USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81), front, USS Mahan (DDG 72), back, USS Bainbridge (DDG 96), and embarked Carrier Air Wing Eight F\/A-18E\/F Super Hornets assigned to Strike Fighter Squadrons 31, 37, 87, and 213, operates as a joint, multi-domain force with a U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress. (U.S. Southern Command) Petty Officer 3rd Class Tajh Payne<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/VZ-NOTAM.jpg\")
FAA <\/p>\n![\"View](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/GettyImages-533265438.jpg\")
One of Venezuela\u2019s Russian-made BUK-M2E air defense systems. (Photo credit should read JUAN BARRETO\/AFP via Getty Images) JUAN BARRETO<\/p>\n