U.S. Denies Venezuela Strike Plans as Southcom Shares Readiness Videos and Trinidad and Tobago Goes on Alert

Overview

• President Donald Trump answered "No" when asked if he plans military strikes in Venezuela, countering reports from the Miami Herald and the Wall Street Journal that said potential Venezuelan targets had been identified.
• U.S. Southern Command posted footage of Marines firing machine guns at sea and declared forces "lethal and ready" as the Pentagon sustains a regional deployment that includes eight Navy ships, F-35s in Puerto Rico, a carrier group, and recent B-52 and B-1 flights.
• Since early September, U.S. forces have struck suspected trafficking vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, with official tallies reporting more than 60 deaths and at least 14 boats plus a submersible destroyed.
• Trinidad and Tobago ordered Level 1 alert status with troops recalled to barracks and police leave canceled after the USS Gravely conducted joint drills there, following which Caracas suspended a gas deal and its legislature declared Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar persona non grata.
• The Washington Post reported that Nicolás Maduro sought military support from Russia, China, and Iran for radars, drones, and air defenses as the U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk called the boat strikes unacceptable and warned of possible extrajudicial killings.