International airlines have continued to cancel flights to Venezuela after the US’s Federal Aviation Administration issued a warning about flying near the country, a statement that came as the US continues to move toward launching a war with the goal of ousting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
The FAA told pilots on Friday to “exercise caution” when flying in Venezuela’s airspace, due to the “worsening security situation and heightened military activity” around the country. It warned that unspecified threats could pose a risk to planes at any altitude, including during takeoff and landing.
The Associated Press reported on Sunday that so far, six carriers have canceled flights to Venezuela: TAP, LATAM, Avianca, Iberia, Gol, and Caribbean.
In recent weeks, the US has flown bombers near Venezuela, a US aircraft carrier arrived in the Caribbean, and the US has stepped up military exercises in Trinidad and Tobago. On Saturday, a US Navy destroyer conducted an operation off the coast of Guayana. The US has also continued its bombing campaign against alleged drug-running boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, which has involved the extra-judicial execution of at least 82 people.
The White House has reportedly been considering dropping leaflets on Venezuela reminding Venezuelan’s that the US government has placed a $50 million bounty on Maduro’s head, though it’s unclear if it will follow through on the plan. Trump administration officials have been hoping that the US military buildup and psychological operations targeting Venezuela would be enough for Maduro to step down voluntarily or for someone in his inner circle to turn on him, but there’s no sign that either scenario will happen.
The Trump administration is set up to give itself a pretext to launch a war with Venezuela by expanding the State Department’s list of “Foreign Terrorist Organizations” to include the Cartel de los Soles, or Cartel of the Suns, a group that the US claims Maduro leads but doesn’t actually exist. The designation is set to take effect on Monday, according to a statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The term “Cartel of the Suns” was first used in the 1990s to describe two Venezuelan military generals with sun insignias on their uniforms who were involved in the drug trade. One of the generals was working with the CIA at the time, according to a 1993 60 Minutes report. Today, the term is used to describe Venezuelan military and government officials who allegedly profit from drug trafficking, but the Cartel of the Suns doesn’t exist as a structured organization.
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said last week that the FTO designation would give the Pentagon “options” to go after the non-existent cartel, which means target the Venezuelan government.
