Overview

• Trump announced the operation with a brief video showing an explosion and said no U.S. personnel were injured.
• He characterized Venezuelan drug cartels as a national security threat and warned that anyone transporting lethal narcotics to the U.S. will be prosecuted.
• The strike follows a September 2 attack the administration said killed 11, as U.S. forces conduct a campaign against suspected traffickers in the southern Caribbean.
• Maduro called relations tense and said Washington severed channels that earlier ran through U.S. officials John McNamara and Richard Grenell.
• Recent reporting describes a broader U.S. buildout in the region, including activity at Puerto Rico’s Roosevelt Roads, F-35 deployments, Reaper drones, and multiple Navy ships, while some details of past strikes remain disputed and independently unverified.