Overview
- In a CBS interview and on Air Force One, the president refused to discuss reported plans for airstrikes inside Venezuela, saying he would not preview operational decisions.
- The White House pushed back on media accounts of imminent attacks, with a spokesperson dismissing unnamed sources after reports said U.S. officials had identified land targets.
- Since early September, U.S. forces have sunk at least 15 suspected smuggling vessels in international waters near Venezuela, with more than 60 people reported killed and UN and rights groups questioning the legality of the strikes.
- The Pentagon has surged regional forces, including deploying the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group and other assets, while Trump has also said he approved CIA operations tied to counter-narcotics and pressure on Nicolás Maduro.
- The Senate is preparing to vote as soon as next week on a war-powers resolution aimed at constraining U.S. hostilities against Venezuela.