Overview
- Major outlets including the Miami Herald and Wall Street Journal had reported that U.S. strikes on Venezuelan military sites tied to trafficking could come within hours or days, a claim Trump rejected.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed the Herald’s story as invented, adding to pushback against reports of an immediate attack plan.
- The Pentagon has surged forces to the region, with the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier group and additional ships, aircraft and personnel ordered toward the Caribbean.
- U.S. forces have repeatedly struck boats alleged to be carrying drugs in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, with reports of dozens killed and a legal posture portraying cartel-linked actors as unlawful combatants.
- Trump has disclosed authorizing covert CIA operations in Venezuela, while Caracas sought help from Russia, China and Iran and Moscow voiced support for Venezuela’s sovereignty.