Overview
- The USS Gerald R. Ford arrived Sunday and transited the Anegada Passage, completing a deployment of roughly 12,000 personnel across nearly a dozen Navy ships under Operation Lanza del Sur.
- U.S. forces have carried out at least 21 strikes on suspected drug boats since September, causing more than 80 deaths, while offering no public evidence that those killed were “narcoterrorists.”
- The State Department announced the Cartel de los Soles will be designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization on Nov. 24, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio linking the group to Nicolás Maduro and senior officials.
- President Trump said he has “in a way” decided on next steps and that discussions with Maduro are possible, noting the new designation could allow strikes on assets but saying no decision has been made.
- Venezuela ordered mass mobilizations and thanked Iran for its public warning to Washington, as U.S. drills with Trinidad and Tobago and expanded training plans in Panama stirred regional unease and analysts cast the carrier as primarily coercive.