Donald Trump is deploying 10 F-35 stealth fighter jets to Puerto Rico to intensify US military operations against drug cartels in the Caribbean, according to reports on Friday. The move follows a US missile strike on Tuesday that targeted a boat allegedly carrying Venezuelan drug traffickers, and comments by Secretary of State Marco Rubio warning that such actions will continue.
The deployment, first reported by Reuters citing two sources briefed on the matter, marks a significant escalation in the Trump administration's crackdown on what it describes as a Venezuelan-led drug trafficking threat. The F-35s, highly advanced stealth aircraft, will arrive next week and form part of a sustained campaign that began with Tuesday's airstrike.
Rubio, speaking in Mexico City on Wednesday, stated that interdiction efforts have failed and that the new strategy involves destroying drug boats. 'What will stop them is when you blow them up,' he said, adding that further strikes are likely. The US has already sent at least eight warships and other military assets to the region in recent weeks.
On Thursday, the Pentagon accused Venezuela of a 'highly provocative move' after two Venezuelan military aircraft flew close to a US warship in international waters. The Pentagon warned Venezuela not to interfere with US counter-narco-terror operations. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has accused the US of seeking regime change through military threats.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the military buildup, stating that the US has 'complete authority' to conduct such strikes. He described Tuesday's strike as eliminating 11 'narco-terrorists.' However, Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar criticised the action as 'lawless and reckless,' arguing that Congress has not declared war and that the strike may violate international law.
