5 hours ago
6
What we cognize astir drug-boat onslaught astatine oversea
For the second clip successful 2 days, Venezuela has flown subject craft successful the vicinity the USS Jason Dunham successful planetary waters adjacent South America, aggregate Defense Department officials confirmed to CBS News Friday, describing the enactment arsenic turning into a "game of chicken."
The aircraft, which 1 Defense Department authoritative said were F-16 combatant jets, flew implicit the Dunham sometime overnight Thursday. It was chartless if the craft was armed.
The Dunham, an Aegis guided-missile destroyer, did not engage, the officials said. The craft was wrong weapons-range for some for the craft and the ship, the officials added.
This comes aft CBS News reported Thursday that 2 F-16 combatant jets besides flew implicit the Dunham earlier that day. The Pentagon aboriginal confirmed that incident, describing it successful a connection arsenic a "highly provocative move" that "was designed to interfere with our antagonistic narco-terror operations."
The Dunham is among a flotilla of U.S. warships dispatched to the region in caller weeks that the Pentagon says person been deployed to people transgression organizations and narco-terrorism.
"I would accidental they're going to beryllium successful trouble," President Trump had told reporters Friday successful effect to a question of what could hap if Venezuela were to alert jets implicit U.S. Navy vessels again.
"If they alert successful a unsafe position, I would accidental that…you oregon your captains tin marque the determination arsenic to what they privation to do," Mr. Trump said portion addressing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, president of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
On Tuesday, the White House announced that the U.S. subject carried retired a onslaught connected an alleged drug-trafficking vessel from Venezuela that Mr. Trump said killed 11 people. The Trump medication said the vessel was operated by the Tren de Aragua gang, 1 of respective gangs that person been designated by the White House arsenic overseas violent organizations.
Earlier Friday, a root acquainted with the plans confirmed the U.S. is sending 10 F-35 combatant jets to the Caribbean for operations targeting cause cartels.
James LaPorta is simply a nationalist information coordinating shaper successful CBS News' Washington bureau. He is simply a erstwhile U.S. Marine infantryman and seasoned of the Afghanistan war.
English (US) ·