Overview
- U.S. Southern Command released video of a Nov. 10 lethal strike on a small vessel in Caribbean waters, reporting four killed and raising the toll to roughly 80 across about 20 attacks since late summer.
- The Pentagon publicly framed the effort as Operation Lanza del Sur, presented as a counternarcotics mission led by Southern Command with continued maritime interdictions.
- President Trump met senior Pentagon leaders to review military options related to Venezuela and later told reporters he had made a decision but would not disclose it, with forces in the region prepared for potential orders.
- Regional posture expanded with the USS Gerald R. Ford and accompanying warships joining a buildup that reports say includes roughly 10,000–15,000 personnel across more than a dozen vessels near Venezuela.
- Trinidad and Tobago confirmed joint exercises with U.S. Marines and the TTDF from Nov. 16–21, as Venezuela denounced the operation and the U.N. and some governments criticized the boat strikes as potential extrajudicial killings.