Overview
- Defense officials said an overnight strike in the Caribbean hit a vessel they linked to Tren de Aragua, killing six men described as narcoterrorists.
- News outlets now report cumulative deaths from the maritime campaign in the dozens, with tallies ranging roughly from 43 to 46 since early September.
- The Pentagon ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group into the U.S. Southern Command area to intensify interdiction of transnational criminal networks.
- The U.S. Treasury announced financial sanctions on Colombian President Gustavo Petro, his wife, his son, and Interior Minister Armando Benedetti, blocking property under U.S. jurisdiction.
- Human rights groups and regional leaders condemn the strikes as extrajudicial, Venezuela ramps up drills after touting thousands of Igla‑S missiles, and U.S. officials acknowledge CIA covert operations in Venezuela.