Venezuela Mobilizes Forces at Caracas Airport as U.S. Freezes Talks and Continues Caribbean Strikes

Overview

• Caracas announced new deployments in coastal states and at Maiquetía International Airport under the Independencia 200 exercise, with troops, militia, drones and security units positioned at ports and customs sites.
• Venezuelan authorities said they foiled a plan by local right‑wing extremists to place explosives at the U.S. Embassy in Caracas and reinforced protection of the facility after alerting U.S. and European interlocutors.
• President Donald Trump instructed envoy Richard Grenell to suspend direct contacts with Nicolás Maduro’s government, according to U.S. officials, following weeks of maritime operations near Venezuela.
• The United States has carried out multiple lethal strikes on small boats it says were carrying drugs near Venezuela, with at least 21 people reported killed, and released strike footage as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth asserted broad authorization.
• Reporting by U.S. media describes a confidential Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel opinion that could expand the president’s ability to use lethal force against a wider range of criminal groups, a claim not detailed publicly by the White House.