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Near Ceiba, Puerto Rico — A U.S. naval basal successful Puerto Rico that was closed much than 20 years agone is present backmost successful cognition arsenic the United States builds up forces successful the Caribbean ahead of imaginable subject action against Venezuela.
Naval Station Roosevelt Roads closed successful 2004 aft having been successful cognition since 1943. But the Roosevelt Roads basal has been reopened and is present 1 of 5 locations wherever U.S. forces are operating successful Puerto Rico, an American territory strategically positioned northbound of Venezuela.
In aboriginal September, a root confirmed to CBS News that the U.S. sent 10 F-35 combatant jets to Puerto Rico for operations targeting cause cartels.
Samuel Rivera Baez, the politician of Ceiba, a municipality located conscionable adjacent to the base, told CBS News that the F-35s aftermath him up successful the mornings.
"Right now, the United States is the astir almighty successful the world," Baez said. "Having them present taking attraction of us, we consciousness much than safe."
The subject beingness is drafting announcement from Puerto Rican locals similar Damien Leon.
"I consciousness tense, benignant of anxious not knowing what it going to happen, possibly an onslaught of idiosyncratic close," Leon told CBS News.
This comes arsenic caller Pentagon images amusement a B-52 long-range bomber flying implicit the craft bearer USS Gerald R. Ford arsenic it steams toward the Caribbean successful a provocative show of the American subject powerfulness that is being staged against Venezuela.
According to a Navy official, arsenic of Friday morning, the U.S. had 4 subject ships successful the occidental Atlantic Ocean, including the USS Gerald R. Ford and 3 guided rocket destroyers. It had different 7 subject ships successful the Caribbean, the authoritative said, which included 2 guided rocket destroyers, 2 guided rocket cruisers, an amphibious battle vessel and 2 amphibious transport dock ships.
As the U.S. conducts unrecorded occurrence exercises successful the region, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, whom the U.S. wants to remove from powerfulness for his alleged ties to cause cartels, spoke retired against what helium called threats of an invasion.
"Raise your manus if you privation Venezuela to go a Yankee colony," Maduro told a assemblage Thursday.
Dating backmost to aboriginal September, the U.S. has besides conducted astatine slightest 20 strikes successful the portion connected what the White House alleges are drug-trafficking boats, sidesplitting astatine slightest 80 people.
On Wednesday, elder subject officials briefed President Trump with updated options for imaginable operations successful Venezuela, including strikes connected land, according to aggregate sources acquainted with the meetings astatine the White House.
On Friday, Mr. Trump held much discussions astatine the White House connected the concern with Venezuela, 3 sources acquainted told CBS News. Among those successful the country for those discussions were Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine.
It marked astatine slightest the 3rd time successful a enactment that elder White House officials held discussions with Mr. Trump connected Venezuela, the sources said.
Eleanor Watson and Jennifer Jacobs contributed to this report.
U.S. ramps up subject powerfulness successful Puerto Rico
U.S. ramps up subject powerfulness successful Puerto Rico arsenic tensions emergence with Venezuela
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