In a sudden post earlier this morning addressed to “All Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers,” President Donald J. Trump announced that the airspace over and surrounding Venezuela will be “CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY.”

Footage today posted by Pearce Robinson on Facebook, appears to show a U.S. Marine Corps AN/TPS-80 Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar (G/ATOR) - likely with Marine Air Control Squadron 2 (MACS-2) - deployed at A. N. R. Robinson International Airport in Trinidad and Tobago, as part of a much larger military installation reportedly under construction on the eastern end of Crown Point Runway.

Footage published earlier today by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), showing yesterday’s attack by a drone swarm of “Sea Baby” Unmanned Surface Vehicles against two Gambian-flagged oil tankers part of the Russian Shadow Fleet, M/T KAIROS and M/T VIRAT, in the Southern Black Sea off the coast of Turkey, while enroute to the Russian Port of Novorossiysk.

Firefighting operations continue alongside the Russian Shadow Fleet, Gambian-flagged oil tanker M/T KAIROS off the coast of Turkey, following an attack yesterday by several Ukrainian uncrewed surface vessels in the Southern Black Sea. The vessel appears to be a total loss, suffering significant fire damage to its aft section and bridge, with all crewmembers onboard having previously been safely evacuated to Turkey.

The Senate Armed Services Committee has issued a statement from Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-RI), stating that they are aware of recent reports regarding alleged follow-up strikes on suspected narco-trafficking vessels in Southern Caribbean, adding that they have directed inquires into the incident to the Department of Defense.

U.S. officials who spoke to Reuters said they were surprised by today’s announcement on social media from President Donald J. Trump, and unaware of any ongoing military operations by the United States that would enforce a closure of the airspace over Venezuela. The Pentagon did not respond to requests for comment and no further explanation was provided by the White House.

F/A-18E/F Super Hornets with Carrier Air Wing Eight (CVW-8) have been conducting continuous flights today over the Southern Caribbean, only miles off the coast of the Dutch Islands of Aruba and Curaçao, as well as Venezuela, with them now returning to the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78).

After yesterday's bipartisan statement from Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Armed Services Committee, calling for “vigorous oversight” over recent reports about possible illegal strikes on alleged narco-trafficking vessels in the Southern Caribbean. The House Armed Services Committee has now issued their own joint statement from Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL) and Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-WA), stating that they take the reports seriously, and are committed to providing “rigorous oversight of the Department of Defense’s military operations in the Caribbean,” adding that they will be taking “bipartisan action to gather a full accounting of the operation in question.”

Following a call last week between President Donald J. Trump and Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, in which Trump reportedly urged Maduro to step down or face potential military action from the United States. Maduro and his associates have continued to reach out to the White House through a number of channels, with ongoing discussions about what future communication between the two countries might look like, multiple administration officials told CNN.

Earlier this morning, the Israeli Air Force targeted and struck a group of four militants, suspected of being terror operatives of Hamas, who had exited a tunnel in the eastern part of Rafah, Southern Gaza - which is currently occupied by Israeli Forces - with it believed that among the fighters was the commander and deputy commander of Hamas’s East Rafah Battalion.

Germany will officially unveil and deploy the Israeli-supplied “Arrow-3” Exoatmospheric Anti-Ballistic Missile System later this week, according to The Jerusalem Post, in what will be the first ever deployment of the surface-to-air missile system outside of Israel. The Arrow-2/3 has significantly proved itself in combat over the last year, being heavily used to intercept hundreds of missiles fired against Israel by Iran during the Israel-Iran War, as well as by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen.