Overview
- The USS Gerald R. Ford has joined a large U.S. deployment near Venezuela that includes an estimated 15,000-plus personnel, roughly 2,000 Marines, several destroyers, a nuclear submarine and multiple aircraft.
- President Trump said he has almost made his decision after Situation Room briefings that presented a range of military options.
- U.S. forces describe the mission as targeting drug trafficking, with about 20 suspected smuggling boats destroyed since September and more than 80 reported dead, drawing criticism from the UN human-rights chief and raising questions over war powers.
- Latin American responses remain split, with Mexico stating any intervention is out of the question and Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro maintaining intelligence cooperation despite public objections.
- Reports cited by Reuters say the Maduro government has prepared plans for guerrilla-style resistance and orchestrated urban disruption if foreign forces attack.