Overview

• NBC reports that U.S. military leaders are evaluating drone strikes against alleged narcotraffickers and labs inside Venezuela in the coming weeks, though the president has not approved any action.
• Venezuela is expanding internal readiness with a nationwide civil‑protection drill set for Saturday and preparations for a possible state of conmoción exterior, while Maduro urges the armed forces to ensure the country is “intocable.”
• U.S. forces remain concentrated in the southern Caribbean with multiple warships, a nuclear‑powered attack submarine, aircraft and thousands of personnel under a counternarcotics rationale, following multiple lethal interdictions at sea that Caracas denounces and for which public evidence has been limited.
• At the U.N. General Assembly, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil condemned the deployment as an “absolutely illegal” threat, Barbados’ prime minister warned of disproportionate risks to island states, and Cuba said it would not enter a war with the United States.
• Venezuelan coastal communities report fear after videos of destroyed small boats circulated, with fishermen describing new group outings, tighter communications and shorter ranges as they try to avoid incidents at sea.