WASHINGTON, Dec 1 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump plans to meet on Monday with top advisers to discuss Venezuela, among other topics, two sources familiar with the matter said.

The Oval Office meeting, scheduled for 5 p.m. EST (2200 GMT), is expected to include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth and other senior members of Trump’s team, the sources said.

The session comes as Trump ratchets up pressure on Venezuela over what the U.S. says are drug shipments emanating from that country.

On Saturday, Trump said the airspace above and surrounding Venezuela should be considered “closed in its entirety,” but gave no further details, stirring anxiety and confusion in Caracas.

Trump confirmed on Sunday that he had spoken to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whom the U.S. considers an illegitimate leader, but Trump declined to provide details of the conversation.

The Trump administration has been weighing Venezuela-related options to combat what it has portrayed as Maduro’s role in supplying illegal drugs that have killed Americans. Maduro has denied having any links to the illegal drug trade.

U.S. forces in the region have focused on counter-narcotics operations, even though the assembled firepower far outweighs what is necessary for them. U.S. troops have carried out at least 21 strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific since September, killing at least 83 people.

Reports of looming action have proliferated in recent weeks as the U.S. military has deployed forces to the Caribbean amid worsening relations with Venezuela. 

(Reporting by Steve Holland and Phil Stewart; Editing by Colleen Jenkins, Rod Nickel)