Overview

• President Trump said U.S. forces hit a vessel in international waters that had departed Venezuela, killing 11 people he identified as Tren de Aragua narcoterrorists en route with illegal narcotics to the United States.
• Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the action as an anti-drug operation in the south Caribbean against a ship that left Venezuela, and a Pentagon official characterized it as a targeted strike.
• The White House posted footage of the explosion, which Venezuela’s communications minister dismissed as fabricated and claimed was generated by AI.
• U.S. officials said seven Navy ships, including three amphibious assault ships, are operating in the Caribbean as part of the intensified counter-narcotics effort.
• Nicolás Maduro denounced the U.S. presence as a threat, announced mass militia mobilization, and deployed naval units and surveillance drones, as regional governments voiced differing reactions.