Overview
- Asked aboard Air Force One if he was considering strikes inside Venezuela, President Donald Trump replied "No," after previously saying "the land is going to be next."
- The Miami Herald and Wall Street Journal reported officials had identified Venezuelan military airports and ports as potential targets, but the White House dismissed unnamed-source claims.
- U.N. human-rights chief Volker Türk called recent U.S. attacks on suspected drug boats "unacceptable," urging a halt and investigations over possible violations of international law.
- The Pentagon acknowledges at least 14 strikes since early September on vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, with at least 61 people killed and few details publicly released.
- The U.S. has surged forces to the region, including the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group and other warships and aircraft, as congressional disputes intensify over legal authority and oversight.