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.

As Washington escalates pressure on Venezuela, any push for regime change risks becoming a costly, dangerous gamble — not the quick fix President Trump might hope for.

The U.S. declared an alleged cartel in Venezuela a terrorist organization, the latest action targeting the country and the Maduro government.

Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro rallied his supporters on Tuesday during a march in the country’s capital, Caracas.

The Trump administration could have expanded authority to take action in Venezuela starting Monday, as the US designates Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his government allies as members of a foreign terrorist organization.

International airlines are canceling flights to Venezuela after the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration warned pilots about security risks and increased military activity.

A sanctioned Russian oil tanker has reportedly reached Venezuela following several route changes and attempts to evade U.S. naval interception in the Caribbean Sea. The ship anchored at Puerto La Cruz, a port city on the South American country's northeastern coast, according to global shipping news outlets.

Despite this long relationship, Noriega proved to be a highly unreliable Cold War partner. While on Washington’s payroll, he supplied Castro with intelligence on U.S. operations and helped facilitate the shipment of weapons from Cuba to various Marxist insurgent groups.

Venezuela doesn’t play a large role in the drug trade to the United States, so what is motivating the massive military buildup? Julian E. Barnes, who reports on intelligence and international security,

CNN analyzed Venezuelan military footage, verified social media video, and other open-source data since early September to explore how President Nicolás Maduro’s regime is flexing its comparatively modest military muscle in its standoff with the US.