Overview
- President Donald Trump said in a radio interview that U.S. forces "dismantled" a large narcotics installation inside Venezuela last week, a claim not confirmed by Caracas or detailed by U.S. agencies.
- The Pentagon reinforced its posture in Puerto Rico over the weekend, with C-130J aircraft, CV-22 Ospreys and MRAPs arriving in Aguadilla as part of the regional pressure campaign.
- Washington’s order to block sanctioned tankers has left roughly 17.5 million barrels of Venezuelan crude stranded, according to TankerTrackers’ estimate.
- U.S. officials report at least 29 strikes on small vessels since September in operations described as counter-narcotics, with 105 people killed.
- The New York Times reports Trump, Marco Rubio and Stephen Miller aligned goals to weaken Nicolás Maduro, target drug networks and secure oil access, leading to a secret directive for maritime operations.