The United States announced the deployment of ten F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico, as part of a military operation in the Caribbean.
According to Reuters, the official justification for the measure is the fight against Latin American drug cartels, but experts point out that the mobilization increases pressure from the Trump administration on Venezuela. The region already has seven warships, a nuclear submarine, and American surveillance aircraft.
The move comes amid escalating tensions between Washington and Caracas. This week, two Venezuelan fighter jets flew over the USS Jason Dunham destroyer in an action considered “provocative” by the Pentagon. Days earlier, U.S. forces bombed a boat that, according to Trump, was transporting drugs linked to the Tren de Aragua gang, leaving 11 dead. The American president also once again accused Nicolás Maduro of leading the so-called Cartel de los Soles and of running transnational criminal networks.
For analysts, the volume of military resources sent to the region is inconsistent with a simple anti-drug operation and may signal broader plans against the Venezuelan government. In response, Maduro declared that Venezuela will resist any aggression and described the American military presence as “the greatest threat to Latin America in the last century.” Meanwhile, Caracas is mobilizing troops and militiamen in the face of a possible foreign intervention.
Source: U.S. Department of Defense | Photo: X @usairforce | This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team
