The drone circled high above the Caribbean Sea as its target skipped across the waves below carrying another bounty of drugs bound for America.

Several U.S military bombers have flown from the continental U.S. down to the Caribbean in recent days. Flight tracking data showed two B-1 aircraft left Dyess Air Force Base in Texas on Thursday and approached Venezuela's coast. A U.S. official told the Associated Press that B-1s had carried out a training flight in the Caribbean.

The Trump administration has conducted at least 13 strikes, killing 57 in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro offered the U.S. his country's oil riches. For Secretary of State Marco Rubio, that wasn't enough.

As the U.S. military presence near Venezuela increases, 60 Minutes traveled to the South American nation for a rare look at what life is like under its embattled dictator, Nicolás Maduro. "Instability isn't just an architectural feature in Venezuela;

U.S. Navy targets cocaine smugglers in Caribbean waters as drug cartels shift tactics from sea routes to aircraft. Maritime counter-narcotics campaign forces traffickers to adapt.

Tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela are ratcheting up, with a showdown between President Trump and Nicolás Maduro putting the two nations on the brink.

But the real flashpoint is still Venezuela. While Trump says no bombers flew near its airspace, The Wall Street Journal insists they did. And even if the truth lies somewhere in between, the real tension comes from what could happen next. If American bombers really did skirt Venezuelan airspace, is it a warning shot? Or a sign of something more?

Reality Check is a Herald series holding those in power to account and shining a light on their decisions. Have a suggestion for a future story? Email our journalists at [email protected].

R Viswanathan, who has served as India's ambassador to Venezuela, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, explains the Trump-Maduro dispute and the larger context around it.

Venezuela on Monday suspended energy agreements with Trinidad and Tobago, over what officials have described as “hostile” actions by the island nation. Trinidad is now hosting one of the U.S. warships involved in a controversial campaign to destroy Venezuelan speedboats allegedly carrying drugs to the United States.