Overview

• The Pentagon said two Venezuelan F-16s flew near the USS Jason Dunham in international waters and called the maneuver an extremely provocative attempt to disrupt U.S. operations.
• Multiple outlets reported the U.S. will deploy ten F-35s to Puerto Rico to support counternarcotics missions as a force of at least seven warships and more than 4,500 personnel operates in the southern Caribbean.
• On September 2, a U.S. strike destroyed a fast boat off Venezuela, killing eleven people; U.S. officials said they were members of Tren de Aragua, while Caracas condemned the action as extrajudicial killings.
• Key facts about the boat strike remain disputed, with independent verification lacking and a UN spokesperson urging that any counternarcotics actions follow the rule of law.
• U.S. officials have signaled additional operations against narco-terror groups, and the administration has moved to revoke Temporary Protected Status for certain Venezuelans in a change reported to affect roughly 250,000 people.