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The U.S. announced the deployment of F-35B Lightning II aircraft on routine flights in the Caribbean as part of operations against drug trafficking under the command of Southern Command.
“F-35B Lightning II aircraft from the U.S. Marine Corps are conducting routine flight operations in the area of responsibility of Southern Command. U.S. military forces are deployed in the Caribbean in support of Southern Command's mission, operations directed by the Department of Defense, and the President's priorities to dismantle drug trafficking and protect the homeland,” is stated in a tweet this Saturday from Southern Command.
Attacks on alleged drug boats
Since his return to the White House, the Trump administration has intensified a strategy of direct force against drug trafficking, authorizing military actions without Congressional approval.
Two alleged drug traffickers died last Tuesday following a U.S. military strike against a vessel suspected of transporting drugs in the Eastern Pacific.
The attack, described as "kinetic and lethal," took place in international waters and resulted in no casualties among U.S. forces.
The president himself recently stated that he will not request a formal declaration of war against the cartels, which his administration considers foreign terrorist organizations.
"Simply put, we are going to kill those who bring drugs into our country," Trump said last month during a roundtable on national security.
Tuesday's attack was at least the sixteenth against vessels suspected of drug trafficking in the Caribbean and the Pacific since January, with an estimated toll of 66 dead.
Human rights organizations, such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Center for Constitutional Rights, have questioned the legality of these attacks.
Despite the criticisms, the Trump administration has reiterated that protecting the homeland and eliminating the threat from cartels will remain "the top national priority."
U.S. Tension with Venezuela
On Wednesday, Trump stated that the bombings against “terrorist cartels” are not limited solely to Venezuela and that there are other countries involved in the military operations his government is conducting in the Caribbean and the Pacific.
The president made these statements during his speech at the America Business Forum (ABF) in Miami, where he emphasized that the attacks are aimed at criminal structures connected to Nicolás Maduro's regime.
"We are dismantling terrorist cartels and taking them down, linked to the Maduro regime in Venezuela and others. Look, it's not just Venezuela, but a lot of things are coming," stated the American president.
The statements come as their government evaluates possible attacks on military targets within Venezuela.
At the same time, NBC, cited by EFE, reported that the administration of Trump is considering similar actions against Mexican cartels.
During his speech, the president emphasized that his policy aims to "free cities from violent crime" and strengthen national security.
“Venezuela emptied its prisons into our country. No one wants that. We are making our country safe and beautiful again,” he stated.
Trump also noted that his administration has intensified the deportation of MS-13 gang members and those from the Venezuelan group Tren de Aragua, whom he described as "dangerous criminals."
"These are bad people. We are getting them out of the country, back to where they came from. We renamed the Department of Defense as the Department of War," he added.
Before the intervention of the president, the Venezuelan opposition figure and Nobel Peace Prize winner of 2025, María Corina Machado, publicly supported Trump's strategy.
In a virtual message, he stated that "Maduro started this war and President Trump is ending it," and described the Chavista leader as "the head of a narcoterrorist structure that attacks the Venezuelan people."
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