Overview

• Venezuela activated Plan Independencia 200, forming 284 fronts that mobilize armed forces and militias to secure coasts, infrastructure and border areas.
• Caracas rejects U.S. assertions that the 11 people killed at sea were Tren de Aragua operatives, alleging a fabricated pretext and an extrajudicial killing.
• U.S. deployments in the southern Caribbean now include eight warships, surveillance aircraft, a nuclear-powered submarine and ten F-35 fighters staged in Puerto Rico.
• The Sept. 2 strike sank a boat in international waters; The New York Times reports the vessel had turned away before being hit repeatedly.
• The White House argues lethal force against drug groups is lawful under the laws of armed conflict, as legal experts dispute the theory and lawmakers seek evidence and move to restrict related funding.