Overview

• U.S. officials said Venezuelan F-16s flew near the destroyer USS Jason Dunham on two occasions this week, an incident the Pentagon labeled highly provocative as Trump warned any jets that endanger U.S. ships would be shot down.
• Ten F-35s are being sent to Puerto Rico as part of a larger buildup that now includes at least eight warships, an attack submarine, surveillance aircraft, and thousands of Marines and sailors positioned near Venezuela.
• A Sept. 2 strike in international waters destroyed a vessel and killed 11 people the administration identifies as Tren de Aragua members, though publicly released corroborating details about the target and cargo remain limited.
• Multiple outlets report officials are weighing options for strikes inside Venezuela to pressure Nicolás Maduro, a development not publicly confirmed by the administration, which says it is not pursuing regime change.
• Congressional and legal scrutiny has intensified after a planned classified briefing was reportedly canceled, while rights groups question due process; Vice President JD Vance publicly defended the strike and dismissed war-crime criticisms.