The US flew two B-1 bombers close to Venezuela, the latest move in Washington’s pressure campaign against Caracas.
American forces have in recent weeks struck several vessels off the coast of the Latin American country, part of a broader operation against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, characterizing the autocratic leader as the head of a drug cartel who must be stopped rather than explicitly pushing for regime change.
Though some US conservatives warn that the campaign could mire the country in another “forever war,” hawkish figures including Secretary of State Marco Rubio — who is focused on weakening and possibly toppling authoritarian leftist regimes in Latin America — appear to hold the upper hand.