Read, Watch or Listen

For two months, the US has amassed warships, bombers, fighter jets and drones in the Caribbean—the region’s largest build-up in decades—while authorising CIA activity in Venezuela and carrying out lethal strikes on small boats it says carried narcotics, without offering evidence. Critics across the region question the legality and see an intimidation campaign to pressure President Nicolás Maduro’s inner circle, not a conventional drug war. BBC Verify tracked 10 US ships and advanced aircraft, including B-52 "bomber attack demonstrations". A $50m bounty and sanctions have yet to prompt defections, leaving Trump’s endgame—and the duration of the buildup—uncertain.

Prepared by Lauren Mitchell and reviewed by editorial team.