Overview

• President Donald Trump said U.S. forces destroyed a drug-laden boat that departed Venezuela, offering no further details on the operation.
• Secretary of State Marco Rubio described a lethal strike on a vessel run by a designated narco‑terrorist group that had left a Venezuelan port.
• Multiple outlets report U.S. warships are operating off Venezuela for counternarcotics missions, with additional media reports suggesting Washington plans to send about 4,000 Marines.
• Maduro called the U.S. military presence the greatest threat in a century, asserted there are eight warships with 1,200 rockets and an atomic submarine targeting Venezuela, and warned he would declare a “Republic in Arms” if attacked.
• The United States has doubled the reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest to $50 million and recently labeled the Cártel de los Soles a foreign terrorist organization, while Venezuela has announced militia mobilizations that independent experts say are likely overstated.