Overview

• The Pentagon notified congressional committees that cartel members are deemed unlawful combatants under a non-international armed conflict, according to documents reported by AP and other outlets.
• The designation is cited to justify three U.S. military strikes on suspected narco‑vessels in September that killed at least 17 people, with at least two boats departing from Venezuela.
• U.S. forces remain surged in the Caribbean with about eight warships, a nuclear-powered attack submarine, roughly 4,500 personnel, and F-35 jets based in Puerto Rico.
• Venezuela says President Nicolás Maduro has signed a state of external commotion decree and its defense chief reported detecting five U.S. combat aircraft near the northern coast, vowing a potential nationwide mobilization if attacked.
• The escalation unfolds as NGO Foro Penal reports 838 people it classifies as political prisoners in Venezuela, drawing fresh human-rights concerns alongside the security standoff.