Overview
- State Department’s foreign terrorist organization designation took effect, expanding sanctions and criminal liability for support, though legal experts say it does not itself authorize force.
- Unnamed U.S. officials told Reuters a new phase could begin soon, with covert operations likely to come first and options under review including strikes inside Venezuela.
- Operation Southern Spear now fields more than a dozen warships and roughly 12,000–15,000 personnel, including the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group, near Venezuelan waters.
- The FAA warned of a potentially hazardous situation around Venezuelan airspace, prompting at least six major international airlines to suspend flights to Caracas.
- Venezuela condemned the designation as a “ridiculous lie,” while the UN and rights groups criticized earlier U.S. boat strikes that killed over 80 people and U.S. polls show about 70% oppose military action.