‘The operations will start imminently’: Trump closes Venezuelan airspace after Maduro refuses to leave, and experts warn what’s coming next

President Donald Trump has officially shut down all of Venezuelan airspace after Nicolás Maduro refused to step down. Defense experts are now warning that serious military action could begin very soon.

According to Fox News, Washington called Maduro and offered him a deal. He could safely leave the country with his wife Cilia Flores and their son, but only if he agreed to resign immediately. The call didn’t end well. 

U.S. officials said three main issues stopped any agreement. First, Maduro wanted complete forgiveness for all crimes he and his group committed, but the U.S. said no. This shows the regime knows they’ve done serious crimes.

Maduro wanted to keep military control even after stepping down

Second, Maduro wanted to stay in charge of the armed forces, similar to what happened in Nicaragua in 1991 with Violeta Chamorro. In exchange, he would allow free elections. Third, Caracas refused to let Maduro resign right away. When Maduro’s government tried to call Washington again, they got no answer.

The situation is now critical. Vanessa Neumann, a defense expert and former Venezuelan diplomat, told Fox News Digital that closing the airspace is a “very clear public warning” that serious action is coming. “I think the operations will start imminently,” she said. Republican lawmakers have also been discussing what the U.S. plans in Venezuela and how it could affect the economy.

“The clearing of the airspace is an indication and a very clear public warning that missiles might be coming to take out command and control infrastructure or retaliatory infrastructure,” Neumann explained. “This will not be like breaking a jar into a thousand pieces, this is where you can lift the concentration of power, and it’s easier to manage.”

This is basically a “capture-or-kill scenario,” Neumann said. The main targets would be Maduro himself, but also Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, Diosdado Cabello, and Alexander Granko Arteaga, who runs the counter-intelligence agency DGCIM. Neumann noted that Granko is important because his unit’s violence against their own military is why there hasn’t been a military rebellion yet.

This pressure isn’t just about politics – it’s deeply connected to organized crime. The U.S. recently labeled the Cartel de los Soles, which is allegedly tied directly to Venezuela’s government, as a foreign terrorist organization. 

This cartel turned Venezuela’s main oil company into a massive drug trafficking and money laundering operation, Neumann explained. They use Venezuelan military jets to move cocaine from Colombia, process it, and ship it to Central America and Europe. The U.S. has been ramping up its military response, including strikes on suspected narcotics boats, though concerns about a U.S. airstrike on a Venezuelan vessel have emerged.

Even worse, the Cartel de los Soles works with and funds Hezbollah, Neumann added. Some of that drug money has paid for terrorist attacks that killed American citizens. Maduro’s military is extremely weak, though. Years of corruption, sanctions, and poor maintenance have destroyed it. Neumann said their equipment is “extremely old, decayed, and has not been serviced.” They don’t have the people, foreign support, or equipment to fight back effectively.