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By John Feng and Amir Daftari
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Venezuela has accused U.S. combat aircraft of operating just 46 miles off its northern coast, as American forces surge across the Caribbean in what many view as a direct show of military pressure on Nicolas Maduro’s government.
Satellite imagery, Pentagon releases, and ship tracking reports reveal stealth jets, Marines, and naval vessels poised across Puerto Rico and the eastern Caribbean, raising the specter of escalating tensions that some say could be the opening moves of a broader confrontation.
Newsweek reached out to the State Department and Venezuela's Foreign Ministry for comment.
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Why It Matters
The deployments underscore the Trump administration’s focus on confronting Maduro and his links to organized crime while asserting U.S. military dominance near South America. Visible operations—from stealth fighters and amphibious assault ships to transport aircraft—serve both as a deterrent and preparation for potential intervention, thereby heightening regional stakes.
Lawmakers are seeking clarity on the legal basis for recent U.S. strikes against suspected cartel boats, reflecting domestic concern over the scope of military action and how far Washington is prepared to go.
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What To Know
Here are 5 key signs pointing to a growing risk of war between the U.S. and Venezuela:
U.S. Accused of 'Military Harassment'
A joint statement issued by Venezuela's defense and foreign ministries on Thursday accused U.S. combat aircraft of operating 46 miles off the country's north coast, within the Maiquetía flight information region.
Caracas described the sortie as an “illegal incursion” detected by its air defense command but did not specify whether the aircraft were crewed or how many there were. Defense Minister General Vladimir Padrino called it a threat that “U.S. imperialism has dared to bring close to the Venezuelan coast.”
F-35B Jets in Puerto Rico
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A high-resolution satellite image released the same day by MizarVision, a China-based aerospace intelligence firm, showed at least 10 F-35B stealth jets parked in the open at Puerto Rico's José Aponte de la Torre Airport in Ceiba, formerly known as the naval station Roosevelt Roads.
That the U.S.'s advanced fifth-generation fighters continue to be visible from space likely is not a coincidence, but a loud military signal directed at Maduro's government.
Pentagon Imagery
Also on Thursday, the Pentagon released its first tranche of images showing the arrival of U.S. Marine Corps F-35B jets in Ceiba in mid-September. U.S. Air Force engineers were this week laying down a new runway at the former U.S. military base "in support of the U.S. Southern Command mission, Department of War-directed operations, and the president's priorities," said the caption of another photograph.
Cargo and Naval Deployments
The Defense Department also disclosed nighttime cargo deliveries to Aguadilla in the east, carried out by at least one Air Force C-17 Globemaster III military transport plane. Newsweek previously reported the presence of support aircraft in Puerto Rico, including airlift and tanker planes.
This week, ship spotters captured the comings and goings of U.S. Navy warships at the port of Ponce in Puerto Rico, including the newly arrived Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Truxtun and the amphibious transport dock USS San Antonio, one of three large vessels carrying Navy sailors and embarked Marines.
The surge of forces to the Caribbean brings America's naval presence to at least four destroyers, a cruiser, a littoral combat ship, and a three-vessel amphibious assault group, in addition to the unknown whereabouts of the USS Newport News, a nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine tasked to the region weeks earlier.
Special Operations
Separately this week, imagery captured by the European Space Agency's Sentinel-2 satellites showed a U.S. special operations ship on the move in the eastern Caribbean. The MV Ocean Trader, a cargo ship converted into a Special Warfare Support vessel that could carry Navy SEALs, was last seen at the port of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
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The mission of the so-called "ghost ship" remains unclear, but the Washington Examiner reported on Thursday that the Trump administration has now assembled sufficient forces in the region to capture a strategic infrastructure in Venezuela, such as a port or airport. Meanwhile, a platoon of U.S. Navy SEALs—typically comprising 16 personnel—will conduct joint drills this month with approximately 40 Argentine tactical divers, a U.S. Southern Command spokesperson told Newsweek.
In a memo sent to Congress this week, President Donald Trump said the U.S. was now in "a non-international armed conflict" with the cartels, which he designated as terrorist organizations. The official designation and intentional legalese appeared to be justification after the fact for the Pentagon's three previous drone strikes against suspected cartel boats—and could portend more similar action.
U.S. lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have sought clarification from the White House on the legal grounds of the attacks, The Wall Street Journal reported.
What People Are Saying
Venezuelan Defense Minister General Vladimir Padrino: “We’re watching them, I want you to know. And I want you to know that this doesn’t intimidate us. It doesn’t intimidate the people of Venezuela. The presence of these planes flying close to our Caribbean Sea is a vulgarity, a provocation, a threat to the security of the nation. I denounce before the world the military harassment, the military threat by the US government against the people of Venezuela, who want peace, work and happiness."
President Donald Trump's memo to Congress: “Based upon the cumulative effects of these hostile acts against the citizens and interests of the United States and friendly foreign nations, the president determined that the United States is in a noninternational armed conflict with these designated terrorist organizations.”
Carlos Solar, senior research fellow in Latin American security with the U.K.-based Royal United Services Institute think tank, told Newsweek: "Under Washington’s eyes, U.S. maritime power, and the combined show of force with regional partners, are both a tool of deterrence and geopolitical signaling."
What Happens Next
Venezuela has declared a state of emergency, mobilizing its armed forces and authorizing extraordinary measures to safeguard strategic institutions amid heightened tensions. Maduro has called for a nationwide mobilization, framing the standoff as a defense of sovereignty against external aggression. Meanwhile, the U.S. buildup in the Caribbean—its largest in decades—signals preparations that go beyond deterrence, with forces positioned for rapid escalation if ordered. With both sides on high alert and rhetoric hardening, the risk of miscalculation or sudden confrontation has sharply increased.
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