Top US Military Officer to Visit Region Amid Venezuela Tensions

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is traveling through Latin America as tensions between the US and Venezuela remain elevated and the Trump administration has designated the leadership in Caracas as a foreign terrorist organization.

The upgraded designation for the Cartel de los Soles, which administration officials say is led by Nicolás Maduro — combined with a massive US military buildup in the waters near Venezuela and deadly strikes against alleged drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean — has fueled speculation that a US strike against targets inside the country is imminent.

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