Overview

• U.S. officials ordered the guided‑missile cruiser USS Lake Erie and fast‑attack submarine USS Newport News to the southern Caribbean, with arrival expected early next week, while specific missions remain undisclosed.
• The Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group is en route after weather delays, and Curaçao’s prime minister said three U.S. destroyers will begin arriving Thursday near Venezuelan waters.
• Venezuela announced a 15,000‑person security deployment along the Colombia border under the expanded Operation Relámpago del Catatumbo.
• Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López said the country will patrol with drones, riverine units and naval vessels in the Lake Maracaibo area, the Gulf of Venezuela and farther north in territorial waters.
• Caracas sought UN support as the UN secretary‑general urged a peaceful resolution, and the U.S. Coast Guard highlighted summer seizures exceeding 34,500 kilograms as justification for intensified operations.