Overview
- U.S. Southern Command reported a new attack on Saturday against a suspected smuggling boat in the eastern Pacific, with three people killed and media counts placing the total at about 21 strikes and more than 80 deaths.
- Authorities working with U.S. agencies intercepted a vessel near the Dominican Republic, seizing 484 packages of cocaine totaling nearly 500 kilograms and arresting two Dominican men.
- The Pentagon says Operation Southern Spear targets so‑called narco‑terrorists, and President Donald Trump has confirmed authorizing covert CIA activity in Venezuela.
- The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford has arrived in the region to join other U.S. naval forces, which include destroyers, additional warships, an attack submarine and combat aircraft.
- United Nations officials and legal experts have urged U.S. restraint as regional governments split over the mission, while Washington offers a $50 million bounty for Nicolás Maduro and Reuters reports Venezuela is preparing plans for prolonged resistance.