The escalation of tension between Venezuela and the United States, day after day: bombings in the Caribbean, aircraft carriers and direct threat of attack

The Donald Trump administration has designated eight criminal organizations as terrorist groups. Among them is the Venezuelan Tren de Araguas.

The United States has expelled more than 200 Venezuelans accused of participating in the Tren de Aragua. They were flown to El Salvador, whose government allegedly received payments to keep Venezuelans in its prisons.

A total of 252 Venezuelans deported from the United States in March and found at the Terrorist Containment Center (Cecot), a maximum security prison in El Salvador, were sent to Venezuela.

In exchange, the government of Nicolas Maduro released ten American citizens detained in Venezuela and an unknown number of Venezuelans whom Washington considers political prisoners.

He said the ship was in international waters in the southern Caribbean Sea and was carrying illegal drugs destined for the United States. The action targeted members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.

On his social media site Truth Social, Trump wrote: “The attack left 11 terrorists killed in action. No U.S. service members were injured. Let this serve as a warning to anyone considering bringing drugs into the United States of America. Be careful!”

According to Trump, the operation resulted in the deaths of three men and no American service members were injured in the attack. Earlier in the day, Trump said the country continues to receive numerous drug shipments and that “a lot of them are coming from Venezuela.”

Three people were killed in the third such attack in the Caribbean Sea. Trump claimed they were working for an unspecified “terrorist organization.”

The document states that Trump considers drug cartels to be non-state armed groups and that his actions amount to “an armed attack on the United States.”

The same week, Trump said his administration was considering attacking the operations of drug cartels “arriving overland” from Venezuela to the United States.

The United States announces its fifth attack on boats, which killed six men in the Caribbean.

Trump claims intelligence indicated the vessel was “trafficking narcotics” and “associated with illicit narcoterrorism networks.”

This type of operation occurs, for example, when military or intelligence services carry out attacks or assassinations in another country – even if the armies of the two countries do not directly confront each other.

Trump said the United States was “considering operations on the ground” as it considered further attacks in the region.

The United States carries out a sixth attack on ships in the Caribbean Sea. Two people died and two others survived. The survivors were sent to Colombia and Ecuador.

Seventh US attack on ships in the Caribbean Sea, killing three – US claims ties to Colombia.

The United States launches its eighth attack on a ship allegedly involved in drug trafficking, killing two people. For the first time, the attack took place in the Pacific Ocean.

Ninth American attack on ships, with three deaths. This is the second attack in the Pacific.

Tenth American attack, this time near the coast of Venezuela. The U.S. government says the ship belonged to the Tren de Aragua.

Other warships, a nuclear submarine and F-35 jets have already been dispatched.

Three boat attacks – the largest US attack to date – killed 14 people in the Pacific.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the United States had attacked four boats suspected of drug trafficking.

In the 14th U.S. attack, Hegseth says the U.S. military killed four people on a boat carrying drugs in the Eastern Pacific.

Hegseth releases another video announcing the 15th attack. According to the secretary, the ship in the Caribbean was operated by an unnamed terrorist organization. Three people are believed to have died.

In the 16th known attack, Hegseth says two people died aboard a boat in the Pacific.

Hegseth announces the 17th attack, with three dead.

Two more US attacks on ships in the Pacific, killing six.

The 20th American attack left four more dead.

Three people die in yet another attack in the Pacific.

Designating organizations as terrorist groups gives U.S. police and military forces greater powers to target and dismantle them.

According to the newspaper, Trump and Maduro discussed a possible meeting between them in the United States, even though the North American country continues to threaten military action against Venezuela.

A White House spokesperson declined the newspaper’s requests to comment on the conversation between Trump and Maduro. The Venezuelan government also did not respond to The Times’ request for comment.

However, two people close to the Venezuelan government confirmed that the call between the two leaders took place. None of them wanted to be identified because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the subject.

“To all airlines, pilots, drug traffickers and human traffickers: please consider that the airspace above and around Venezuela is completely closed,” he wrote on the social network Truth Social.

The Venezuelan government accused Trump of uttering a “colonialist threat.” The Foreign Ministry called the statement “another extravagant, illegal and unjustified aggression against the Venezuelan people.”

“You know, by land, it’s a lot easier, a lot easier. And we know the routes that they (traffickers) take. We know everything about them. We know where they live. We know where the bad guys live, and we’re going to start that very soon as well,” the US president said at the White House.

The next day, the US government recommended that its citizens not travel to Venezuela and that those in the South American country try to get out.

Four people die in what would be the 22nd US attack on boats suspected of drug trafficking. The attack took place in the Pacific.