The drumbeat for some kind of military action against Venezuela keeps getting louder.

The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that the Trump administration had identified land targets that could be struck in the South American nation. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has reacted with fury to what he sees as a Washington-led effort to depose him.

Meanwhile, there have now been at least 14 American strikes on vessels in the Caribbean, often of Venezuelan origin. The Trump administration says these boats are smuggling drugs, through the evidence it has produced in support of those claims is scant.

Here are the key things to know.

Tensions ramp up over alleged targeting

Tensions have been ramping up markedly in recent weeks, including Trump’s acknowledgment that he had authorized the CIA to operate inside Venezuela.

A new escalatory chapter was opened by the Journal’s story, which was published Thursday evening.

It contended that the identification of targets by the U.S. set the stage for air strikes that would “send a clear message to Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro that it is time to step down.”

The Journal’s story also noted “potential targets” that were being looked at included “ports and airports controlled by the military that are allegedly used to traffic drugs.”

A separate story from the Miami Herald on Friday asserted that the Trump........

© The Hill