Overview

• U.S. War Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine made an unannounced trip to Puerto Rico and boarded the USS Iwo Jima, signaling the island’s role as a potential operational hub.
• Multiple reports say the White House is considering options that include attacking targets on Venezuelan soil as part of an expanded counternarcotics and counterterror campaign.
• The Pentagon has concentrated eight warships, a submarine and surveillance aircraft in the southern Caribbean, with 10 F‑35s slated for Puerto Rico following a U.S. strike that killed 11 on a fast boat Washington said left Venezuela.
• Caracas has ordered a reinforced deployment, including a stated mobilization of about 25,000 troops across Zulia, Falcón, Nueva Esparta, Sucre and Delta Amacuro, alongside expanded air and naval patrols and calls for public readiness.
• Venezuelan jets recently overflew a U.S. destroyer, prompting President Trump to warn hostile aircraft would be shot down, as congressional critics question the legality of lethal maritime actions and regional leaders voice sovereignty concerns.