US troops hoping to go home over Thanksgiving and Christmas may be feeling less cheerful ahead of the White House’s planned operations in Venezuela.

Soldiers based in the Caribbean have been told their holiday plans might be interrupted, with Southcom, the US combat command responsible for South and Central America, announcing leave will be restricted in preparation for land strikes in South America.

It comes amid Operation Southern Spear, headed up by General Dan Caine, which has seen military forces concentrate in the Caribbean to stop the flow of drugs into America.

Warships and coast guard vessels have been in the area since August, but the USS Gerald R Ford, the biggest aircraft carrier in the world, joined the fleet in early November.

Just yesterday, officials revealed they will begin covert operations against the Venezuelan President, Nicolas Maduro, as they continue the new ‘war on drugs’.

‘President Trump is prepared to use every element of American power to stop drugs from flooding into our country and to bring those responsible to justice,’ an official told Reuters.

The US has placed many troops close to Venezuela (Picture: Metro Graphics/Emily Manley)

The US combat command for South and Central America has restricted leave over the festive period (Picture: Reuters)

That power stretches far beyond aircraft carriers, soldiers and ships. It also includes five military and naval bases in the Caribbean, allowing easy access to the region.

Data from Reuters placed 12 naval ships in the Caribbean as of November. This would allow the US to begin air strikes with ease if things are to escalate more.

The US Federal Aviation Administration has already warned airlines of a ‘potentially hazardous situation’ over Venezuela soon, prompting worries of a larger conflict.

If the US starts air strikes, they would likely target facilities belonging to Maduro’s regime or criminal gangs.

The White House has also accused Maduro of heading up the Cartel de los Soles, which they designated as a foreign terrorist organisation yesterday.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Cartel de los Soles, or Cartel of the Suns, is ‘responsible for terrorist violence’ in the Western Hemisphere.

But a 2020 report from the US Drug Enforcement Administration found that just 8% of the country’s cocaine came by boat through the Caribbean.

Maduro denies being involved, but the designation is the latest attempt by Trump to stop drug trafficking into the US.

Rumours have also circulated for a while that Trump wants to push for regime change to unseat Maduro, who has accused the US of ‘fabricating a new eternal war’.

The world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R Ford, has added to Maduro’s unease as it has been spotted in the Caribbean as the military continues to strike ‘drug-trafficking boats’.

What could a war between Venezuela and the US look like?

The world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R Ford, is in the Caribbean now (Picture: AFP)

Though an outright war is still unlikely, the concentration of American air and naval forces near Venezuela points to concentrated airstrikes if things were to kick off.

The US troop levels right now are a bit too low for a full land invasion, but if things kick off with air strikes, Maduro’s troops might struggle due to their ageing weapons.

Most of the air defences in the country are Russian-made, which do work, but are no match for modern American weapons.

Are Trump’s attacks on alleged ‘narco’ boats legal?

General Caine has been visiting troops in the Caribbean (Picture: Reuters)

US forces have carried out multiple fatal strikes targeting boats in Venezuelan waters following claims they are carrying drugs linked to gangs.

In September, a strike against a Venezuelan gang in the Caribbean left 11 people dead in international waters, prompting questions about the legality of the attack.

Sources told CNN that UK officials believe the September strike, and others, violate international law after having killed 76 people so far.

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk went one step further – calling them ‘extrajudicial killing’.

Trump’s deployment of the military to the Caribbean earlier this year was a drastic change in the normal approach to intercepting drug trafficking boats.