U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth visited sailors aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier in the Latin American region on Thursday, amid a military buildup by President Donald Trump’s administration that has heightened tensions with Venezuela.
In a video released by the Pentagon, Hegseth is seen addressing the crew, wishing them a happy Thanksgiving and offering prayers for the two National Guard soldiers who were shot in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.
Since September, U.S. forces have carried out at least 21 strikes against suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean and off the Pacific coast of Latin America, resulting in at least 83 fatalities.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has repeatedly claimed that the U.S. military buildup is aimed at removing him from power.
The visit comes as President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the U.S. will "very soon" start taking action to stop suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers on land.
"You probably noticed that people aren't wanting to be delivering by sea, and we'll be starting to stop them by land also. The land is easier, but that's going to start very soon," Trump said, speaking virtually with U.S. military service members.
The Venezuelan communications ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Trump administration has been weighing Venezuela-related options to combat what it has portrayed as President Nicolas Maduro's role in supplying illegal drugs that have killed Americans. Maduro has denied having any links to the illegal drug trade.
U.S. forces in the region so far have focused on counter-narcotics operations, even though the assembled firepower far outweighs anything needed for them.
U.S. troops have carried out at least 21 strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific since September, killing at least 83 people.
Reports of looming action have proliferated in recent weeks as the U.S. military has deployed forces to the Caribbean amid worsening relations with Venezuela.
Tensions across the Middle East continue to escalate following coordinated U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory att...
A Russian drone damaged a civilian Panama-flagged vessel that was transporting corn near the Ukrainian port of ...
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stori...
An evacuation flight operated by Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) carrying Azerbaijani citizens from Saudi Arabia has landed in Baku...
Australia and Canada said on Thursday they had signed new agreements on critical minerals as Canadian Prim...
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 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".
U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. military has enough stockpiled weapons to fight wars "forever"; in a social media post late on Monday. The remarks came hours before conflict in Iran and the Middle East entered its fourth day.
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.
Shahid Motahari Sub-Speciality Hospital in northern Tehran and parts of the Golestan Palace were bombed on day two of the U.S.‑Israel strikes. AnewZ Touraj Shiralilou is in Iran's capital city and said that the facility was flattened in an airstrike.
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.
At least 42 people have been killed and 104 wounded in fighting between Afghanistan and Pakistan, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said on Tuesday. The latest death toll figures come as fighting between the two neighbours enters its sixth day.
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.
A power outage struck most of Cuba, including Havana, the state electric utility said on Wednesday (5 March), as the Communist-run government grapples with increased pressure from the Trump administration that has curtailed oil shipments.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment