The U.S. government formally designated the cartel linked to Nicolas Maduro a foreign terrorist organization on Monday, the latest maneuver to apply pressure to the Venezuelan leader they consider illegitimate.

Designating the “Cartel de los Soles” as a foreign terrorist organization will give the administration more ability to target them with sanctions and block access to the U.S. banking system, but an FTO designation does not automatically authorize lethal military force.

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While U.S. military action has not yet escalated beyond t

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