US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made an unannounced visit to the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and the destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill, both deployed to the Caribbean amid rising tensions with Venezuela. He joined troops for a Thanksgiving meal and praised their role in anti-drug operations, saying they were protecting the US homeland.
Washington has deployed a large naval force off Venezuela’s coast as part of its drug-interdiction missions, while President Nicolas Maduro claims the moves aim to destabilize his government. US strikes on suspected drug-carrying boats have killed more than 80 people in 21 operations.