On the morning of 15 local time, the U.S. Southern Command confirmed that the U.S. Marine Corps of the 22nd Expedition had deployed two helicopters – an AH-1Z “Slang” attack helicopter and a UH-1Y “Poison” multi-purpose helicopter – flying side by side over the Caribbean Sea to conduct ballistic exercises to demonstrate its operational capabilities.
The U.S. Southern Command stated that this expeditionary force was deployed to the Caribbean region along with the amphibious readiness group of Iwo Jima to support the mission of the Southern Command, cooperate with the actions led by the U.S. Department of Defense, and implement the U.S. President's priority directive on "combating illegal drug trafficking and defending the homeland".
On the same day, Latin American media reported that two B-52 bombers appeared over the sea off Venezuela at the same time. The United States has not yet made an official confirmation of this.
On the 14th, U.S. President Trump announced on social media that the U.S. military once again sank a ship suspected of "drug trafficking" in international waters off the coast of Venezuela, killing six people on board. This is the fifth time since September that the Trump administration has announced military action against "drug trafficking ships" in international waters off Venezuela. (General reporter Lei Xiangping)