Overview
- Pentagon sources confirmed a U.S. strike in international waters off Venezuela that killed six men aboard a suspected narcotrafficking vessel with no American casualties.
- The administration released video of the attack and said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed the operation under the president’s orders.
- A memorandum to Congress obtained by the Associated Press states the U.S. has determined it is in a non‑international armed conflict with certain designated terrorist organizations and has authorized Pentagon operations accordingly.
- President Trump said he authorized clandestine CIA activity in Venezuela and is evaluating possible ground operations against Venezuelan narcos, while he dismissed questions about removing Nicolás Maduro.
- U.S. media reports say the CIA was cleared for secret actions targeting Maduro or his government, with no final decision on regime change, as this becomes the fifth lethal Caribbean strike this year and about 10,000 U.S. troops operate in the region with eight ships and a submarine.