Overview
- Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he is not considering military attacks on Venezuela.
- The Miami Herald reported alleged White House approval for strikes, while the Wall Street Journal said planners identified military-run ports and airfields as potential targets.
- U.S. forces expanded their presence with warships, F-35s in Puerto Rico, a carrier strike group and bomber overflights, as Trump acknowledged authorizing covert CIA operations in Venezuela.
- According to a Washington Post account reported by O Antagonista, Nicolás Maduro sought military assistance and defensive equipment from Russia, China and Iran.
- Since September, U.S. strikes on suspected trafficking vessels killed 62 people and destroyed 14 boats and a submersible, drawing condemnation from U.N. human-rights chief Volker Türk.