Overview

• In a letter transmitted by the Pentagon, the administration told Congress the United States is engaged in a non‑international armed conflict with drug cartels.
• Venezuela said its air defenses detected five U.S. combat aircraft roughly 75 kilometers from its coast and condemned what it called an illegal incursion.
• U.S. officials reported the destruction of four boats presented as narcotics vessels in recent Caribbean operations, with at least 17 people killed.
• Legal experts challenged the domestic and international law basis for lethal strikes at sea, while the White House argued actions follow the law of armed conflict.
• President Nicolás Maduro prepared an external state‑of‑emergency decree and has mobilized troops, reservists, and militias in response to U.S. naval deployments and fighter positioning in the region.