The United States is aiming to allow further deployments of troops and aircraft to tackle drug trafficking, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday.
Speaking in the Dominican Republic, which has authorised the temporary deployment of U.S. elements, Hegseth said he was hoping other countries would accept U.S. military presence on their soil.
"A model that we hope to expand with other countries that want to associate with us to ensure that the drug terrorists... receive this message that we are associating with more countries, with more elements to stop them," Hegseth said.
He added that the Dominican Republic will continue to help lead the fight against drug traffickers.
The U.S. has ramped up operations in the Caribbean in recent months, including strikes against alleged drug-trafficking vessels which have killed dozens.
Washington says the move is to combat what it has portrayed as President Nicolas Maduro's role in supplying illegal drugs that have killed Americans. Maduro has denied the allegations and says U.S. President Donald Trump seeks to oust him.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said repeatedly he is not pursuing regime change.
Meanwhile, Venezuela has revoked operating rights for six major international airlines after they suspended flights to the country following a warning from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.
Venezuela's civil aviation authority revoked permits for Iberia, TAP, Avianca, Latam Colombia, Turkish Airlines and Gol, with Caracas saying in a statement that the carriers had "joined actions of state terrorism promoted by the United States" by "unilaterally" halting commercial flights.
The U.S. FAA last week warned major airlines of a "potentially hazardous situation" when flying over Venezuela due to the "worsening security situation and heightened military activity in or around" the country.
Caracas said the U.S. safety alert says has no authority over its airspace.
Several international airlines have cancelled flights to Venezuela in recent days, ignoring Caracas's 48-hour deadline to resume services.
Iberia said it wishes to restart flights to Venezuela as soon as full safety conditions are in place.
Air Europa and Plus Ultra had suspended flights but did not have their permits revoked.
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The Pentagon on Monday threatened to recall U.S. Senator Mark Kelly, a retired Navy captain, to active duty status in order to prosecute him after what it described as seditious behavior by the former astronaut and decorated veteran.
The U.S. has not ruled out putting American forces on the ground in Venezuela and is willing to hear directly from Nicolás Maduro about proposals to avert further military escalation, President Donald Trump said on Monday.
Venezuela says it has deployed a range of weapons, including decades-old Russian-made equipment, and plans to mount guerrilla-style resistance in the event of an air or ground assault particularly from the U.S.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has once again expressed strong support for Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, condemning foreign interference and criticising U.S. actions in the region.
A passenger aircraft from Polish carrier LOT veered off a taxiway at Lithuania's Vilnius airport after arriving from Warsaw on Wednesday, halting all traffic, the airport operator said.
A major fire continues to rage at a warehouse in Southall, west London, sending thick plumes of black smoke into the sky hours after it first broke out.
The Hayli Gubbi volcano in Ethiopia’s Afar region erupted on Sunday morning (23 November), covering nearby villages in ash.
Russia's Kremlin aid Yuri Ushakov has denounced the leak of recordings of phone calls between top advisers to U.S. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin as an “unacceptable” attempt to undermine Ukraine peace negotiations, calling it a form of hybrid warfare.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 27th of November, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Pope Leo XIV begins his first trip since becoming the head of the Catholic church outside Italy on Thursday with a three-day visit to Türkiye, where he is expected to call for Christian unity and appeal for peace across the Middle East.
Eleven railway workers have been killed and two injured after a test train struck a maintenance team at Luoyang Town station in Kunming on Thursday, officials in Yunnan province said.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said it has stopped processing all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals indefinitely, after two National Guard soldiers were critically wounded in Washington.
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