Overview
- Asked on Air Force One if he was considering strikes inside Venezuela, President Donald Trump answered "No," and a White House spokeswoman dismissed anonymously sourced reports as inaccurate.
- The Wall Street Journal reported officials had identified Venezuelan military-controlled ports and airstrips as potential targets, while the Miami Herald said strikes could come within days, claims that officials publicly disputed.
- The United States has expanded its regional posture with warships, aircraft and thousands of troops, and the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group is moving into the Caribbean as part of the counter-narcotics campaign.
- Since early September, the U.S. has announced at least 14 lethal strikes on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, killing at least 61 people, actions the U.N. human-rights chief condemned as unlawful and urged to halt.
- Congressional tensions have escalated over legal justifications and oversight of the operations, while Trump has confirmed authorization for CIA covert activity related to Venezuela.