Five US F-35 aircraft landed at the former Roosevelt Roads military base in Puerto Rico on Saturday following President Trump’s order to deploy ten stealth fighters to the Caribbean The deployment aims to counter drug cartels amid escalating tensions with Venezuela.
The advanced aircraft were photographed landing at the Ceiba base by Reuters contract photographer.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made a surprise visit to Puerto Rico this week alongside top military officials Helicopters, Osprey aircraft, transport planes, and military personnel have also been spotted at the base in recent days.
The Pentagon has not announced any official force posture changes, but sources confirmed the F-35 deployment for counter-narcotics operations.
Venezuela announced that a US destroyer intercepted and occupied a Venezuelan tuna fishing vessel for eight hours in the country’s Special Economic Zone on Friday The Venezuelan government called the boarding illegal and hostile, stating the vessel was crewed by nine fishermen.
F-35s are highly advanced stealth fighters that would be effective against Venezuela’s air force, which includes F-16 aircraft.
