U.S. Forces Stationed Near Venezuela Restrict Leave In Preparation For Potential Strikes, Journalist Claims

The U.S. Southern Command (Southcom) is restricting leave over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays in preparation for potential land strikes in the coming days, according to a NewsNation journalist.

Kellie Meyer cited a source who noted that the possible land strikes could take place "in the next 10 days to two weeks."

The development comes on the same day in which the U.S. officially designated the Cartel de los Soles, which the U.S. accuses authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro and other top officials of leading, as a terrorist organization.

The regime rejected the move, calling it a "new and ridiculous lie from Secretary of State Marco Rubio," claiming that it is an "infamous a vile lie to justify an illegitimate and illegal intervention against Venezuela under the classic U.S. format of regime change."

"This new maneuver will face the same fate as the previous and recurring aggressions against our country: it will fail," the release adds.

The document goes on to claim the move is wasting the regime's time, but, "fortunately, the Venezuelan people are more united and cohesive than ever, going about national life in all its dimension and on its way to Christmas festivities."

The designation in question went into effect on Monday, potentially paving the way for military strikes in the country.

Moreover, Trump has has reportedly authorized CIA plans for covert operations inside the South American country.

The New York Times detailed that such operations could pave the way for further action against the Venezuelan regime. It is not clear what the options are or when they could be carried out.

However, since Trump has not yet authorized combat forces on the ground, the next phase could be sabotage or cyber, psychological or information operations. In fact, other outlets reported during the weekend that Washington D.C. considered dropping leaflets in Venezuela showing the $50 million reward the U.S. is offering for information that could lead to the capture of authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro.

At the same time, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is set to visit the Caribbean on Monday. Citing two people familiar with the matter, the NYT added that the stated reason for the trip of Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is thanking troops ahead of Thanksgiving.

However, the outlet added, Caine was key in developing Operation Southern Spear, the largest buildup of forces in the region since the Cuban Missile Crisis, and which has seen more than 20 strikes against alleged drug vessels that have so far killed over 80 people.