President Donald Trump is set to meet with his top advisers on Monday to discuss Venezuela among other issues, according to two people familiar with the plans. The meeting, scheduled for late afternoon in the Oval Office, is expected to include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth and several senior officials. It comes as Trump increases pressure on Caracas over what Washington claims are drug shipments moving through Venezuela.

Trump stirred confusion on Saturday when he declared that all airspace above and around Venezuela should be considered closed, offering no explanation or guidance. He later confirmed he had spoken with President Nicolas Maduro, whom the United States does not recognize as legitimate, but he refused to give details. The administration has been weighing responses tied to claims that Maduro is involved in supplying drugs that have harmed Americans, an allegation he denies.

Tensions have continued to rise as US forces in the region focus on counter narcotics operations that analysts say involve far more military power than the task requires. Since September, US troops have carried out at least twenty one strikes on what they identified as drug boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific, resulting in more than eighty deaths. Reports of possible escalation have grown as the US military increases its presence in the Caribbean amid deteriorating ties with Venezuela.