The United States is reportedly preparing to launch a new phase of operations against Venezuela, which could include efforts to overthrow President Nicolás Maduro, according to a report by Reuters citing unnamed US officials.

Sources familiar with the matter suggested that covert operations targeting the Venezuelan leadership are likely in the coming days, though the timing and scale remain unclear. It is also unknown whether President Donald Trump has formally authorized the next steps.

According to The New York Times, Trump had previously approved CIA plans to conduct covert activities in Venezuela, which could serve as a precursor to broader US military involvement.

Although the US has publicly denied intentions to wage war on Caracas, Washington’s military presence in the Caribbean has increased to nearly 16,000 personnel. According to The Washington Post, Pentagon data indicate that as of October 31, around 10,000 US troops and 6,000 sailors have been stationed in the region, excluding forces based in Puerto Rico.

In recent months, US forces have targeted boats off Venezuela’s coast, alleging they were used for drug trafficking. In September, NBC News reported that the Pentagon was considering options for direct action against targets inside Venezuela, specifically those alleged to be tied to drug networks.

Trump: Maduro’s days are "numbered"

While speaking earlier this month, President Trump asserted that Maduro’s days are limited, though he also insisted that the US had no plans to go to war with Venezuela.

Nonetheless, analysts suggest that growing military activity near Venezuelan waters, combined with persistent economic and diplomatic pressure, may indicate preparation for escalated intervention.

US expands Caribbean war drills, Venezuela warns of rising threats

The United States conducted an unprecedented naval and aerial drill on Thursday across the Atlantic and Caribbean fronts, escalating pressure on Venezuela as President Nicolas Maduro’s government warned of a new CIA sabotage plot.

According to journalist Madelein Garcia, the large-scale exercise featured command-and-control, intelligence, bombing, and combat aircraft launched from the USS Gerald Ford aircraft carrier. The maneuver stretched over Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, and Colombia, extending into northern Venezuelan airspace.

Venezuelan defense sources characterized the mission as a “disproportionate and crude” provocation carried out under the pretext of combating drug trafficking.

Named Operation Southern Spear, the US' mobilization is viewed by Venezuelan authorities and regional analysts as a direct step toward the militarization of the Caribbean. Local reports estimate the cost at around $10 million for a roughly 12-hour deployment, considered the largest US air operation in the region in nearly three months.

Caracas maintains that the US' deployment is designed to undermine regional peace and stability, while far-right opposition figures have publicly echoed Pentagon talking points. Venezuelan media also noted that opposition leader Maria Corina Machado departed the country on Sunday after being accused of “promoting an invasion and supporting any kind of attack against her nation.”