Trump’s rejected ultimatum for Maduro to leave Venezuela, combined with a declared closure of Venezuelan airspace and ongoing lethal counterdrug operations, signals a shift toward open coercive pressure that heightens the risk of targeted strikes and rapid escalation even as Washington insists it will not send ground troops.

A U.S. military strike on a Venezuelan drug vessel marks a dangerous escalation in an unfolding regional crisis, as Venezuela, backed by Russia and China, emerges as a narco-authoritarian threat to U.S. security.