U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine made a surprise visit to Puerto Rico on Monday, marking the first trip by senior Pentagon officials since Washington increased its military presence in the Caribbean, heightening tensions with Venezuela.
The officials were greeted by Puerto Rico governor Jenniffer Gonzalez, who shared photographs of the meeting on social media platform X.
President Donald Trump has ordered the Department of Defence to be renamed the Department of War, pending congressional approval, a move that would also change Hegseth’s title to “Secretary of War.”
The Pentagon released a video showing Hegseth arriving on the USS Iwo Jima, anchored off Puerto Rico’s coast.
Gonzalez praised the visit, saying it recognises Puerto Rico’s strategic importance for U.S. national security and the fight against drug cartels allegedly supported by Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro.
The Trump administration has deployed 10 F-35 fighter jets to a Puerto Rico airfield to conduct operations targeting drug trafficking. The deployment adds to an already significant U.S. military presence in the southern Caribbean.
Last week, a U.S. military strike in the Caribbean killed 11 people and sank a Venezuelan boat, which Trump claimed was carrying illegal narcotics. Congressional members have demanded clarification on the legal basis for the strike, questioning how the administration identified the targets and their cargo.
Venezuelan officials criticised U.S. actions. Vice president Delcy Rodriguez questioned the existence of drug cartels in the country, pointing to data showing Venezuela does not produce cocaine and that most trafficking occurs via Pacific routes.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime reports that 74% of cocaine exported from South America is trafficked across the Pacific, highlighting the regional scale of narcotics routes.
Hegseth and Caine visited Puerto Rico while U.S. marines and sailors from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit conduct amphibious training and flight operations in the southern part of the island, underlining the growing U.S. military focus in the Caribbean.
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Türkiye and Iran’s foreign ministers spoke by phone after reports that a ballistic missile entered Turkish airspace, with Tehran denying responsibility and insisting its recent strikes targeted only U.S. and Israeli facilities.
Britain's first chartered repatriation flight from Oman has been rescheduled following a series of technical and operational issues, the Foreign Office said in a statement on Thursday. The government had chartered a flight from Muscat to London which was due to leave on Wednesday evening.
China has called on Afghanistan and Pakistan to resolve their growing border dispute through dialogue and diplomatic channels, as clashes between their security forces entered a seventh day and left more than 160 people dead or injured, according to the United Nations.
In an exclusive interview with AnewZ, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the Islamic Republic is "not targeting neighbouring countries," amid reports of drone strikes on Nakhchivan International Airport on Thursday (5 March).
In an exclusive interview with AnewZ, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the Islamic Republic is "not targeting neighbouring countries," amid reports of drone strikes on Nakhchivan International Airport on Thursday (5 March).
Tensions across the Middle East continue to escalate following coordinated U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory attacks in the Gulf region, with military operations and regional security developments continuing to unfold.
A torpedo from a U.S. submarine sunk an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka, U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth told reporters as the Iranian conflcit entered its fifth day on Wednesday.
Türkiye has suspended day-trip crossings at its Kapıköy border and two others with Iran as regional tensions escalate following strikes involving the United States and Israel on Tehran. AnewZ's Alisultan Sultanzade was on the ground at the crossing before the restrictions came into force.
Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has told Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that Ankara is ready to help reinforce the ceasefire between Pakistan and Afghanistan, as clashes between the two neighbours continue for a sixth consecutive day.
China has outlined its main economic and policy priorities for the coming year in its annual government work report, a key document that sets out the country’s development plans.
A Russian drone damaged a civilian Panama-flagged vessel that was transporting corn near the Ukrainian port of Chornomorsk in the Black Sea Odesa region, the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority said late on Wednesday.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 5th of February, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Australia and Canada said on Thursday they had signed new agreements on critical minerals as Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney made a landmark address to the Australian parliament, a sign of the developing bond between the "middle powers".
More than 200 people died on Tuesday in a landslide triggered by heavy rains at the Rubaya coltan mine in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the country's mines ministry said on Wednesday.
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