US Sends Jets to Puerto Rico as Venezuelan Fly-By Raises Tension

Venezuela’s fly-by on Thursday followed a US strike on a speedboat purportedly carrying drugs from the country. “This highly provocative move was designed to interfere with our counter-narcotics operations,” the Pentagon said. It said the “cartel” running Venezuela is “strongly advised” not to interfere with any other operations by the US.

Ten Marine Corps F-35s will be dispatched to an airbase in Puerto Rico, the US official said on Friday, to bolster Washington’s fight against illegal narcotics. The deployment was first reported by Reuters.   

The Pentagon didn’t offer any further information on Thursday’s incident, such as how close the jets got to the US ship or where exactly the vessel was located at the time. Venezuela’s information ministry didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. CBS News said the planes were armed F-16 fighter jets.

On Tuesday, the US struck what it described as a drug-smuggling vessel, killing all 11 people aboard in a move that drew criticism at home and abroad over the apparent use of lethal force on civilians. 

Washington’s decision to send several ships carrying some 4,000 sailors and Marines to the region has prompted speculation that President Donald Trump — who has vowed not to involve the US in more foreign entanglements — may be seeking to push Nicolas Maduro from power. Earlier Thursday, the Venezuelan socialist strongman went on state television and called on all military reservists and more than 10 million militia members to mobilize to their local communal offices. 

The fly-by also coincided with Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to Ecuador on a trip aimed at rallying support for the US pressure campaign. Rubio said the US was prepared for more such strikes against Venezuela and signaled that the Trump administration was willing to take even more aggressive action.

“This time we’re not just going to hunt for drug dealers or their little fast boats and say let’s try to arrest them,” Rubio told reporters at a briefing. “The president has said he wants to wage war on these groups because they’ve been waging war on us for 30 years and no one has responded.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Rubio have defended the US strike and warned that more could follow, saying the US government aimed to send a message to drug traffickers.

(Recasts with confirmation of F-35 deployment.)

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