The Pentagon reports that Venezuelan fighter jets have flown over a US ship in the Caribbean.

BarcelonaThe Tensions between the United States and Venezuela in the Caribbean Sea continue unabated.The Pentagon has reported that two F-16 fighter jets have flown over a US Navy destroyer, the USS Jason Dunham, which was in international waters. "Today, two Maduro regime military aircraft flew near a United States Navy ship in international waters," read a statement, calling the move "highly provocative."

The White House responded with a strong warning in Caracas for intervening in the intensification of US military operations in the Caribbean: "The cartel that runs Venezuela is strongly recommended not to undertake any further efforts to obstruct, deter, or interfere with anti-US operations."

The incident, which occurred on Thursday, has only further strained the situation. Two days after a US attack killed eleven people on a boat from Venezuela. According to President Donald Trump, the vessel was carrying illegal narcotics. But several experts have questioned the legality of the operation, despite the Trump administration's assertion that it has the authority to act against alleged members of the drug-trafficking criminal gang El Tren de Aragua, classified by Washington as a terrorist organization.

In a brief statement that omitted details of the incident, the Pentagon reinforced the narrative that Venezuela is a "narco-state," likening Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's government to a drug cartel and accusing the leader of running El Tren.

The vessel that the Venezuelan planes allegedly flew over, the Dunham, is one of seven U.S. warships deployed in the Caribbean, carrying more than 4,500 troops, in a military deployment that has raised concerns in Caracas. For days the marinas from the 22nd Expeditionary Unit are conducting amphibious training and flight operations in southern Puerto Rico.

This military deployment aligns with another recent decision by the US administration: Donald Trump plans to sign an executive order on Friday to rename the Department of Defense to the "War Department," a White House official announced.

The order would authorize Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, the Department of Defense, and subordinate officials to use secondary titles such as "Secretary of War," "War Department," and "Under Secretary of War" in official correspondence and public communications, according to a White House statement.

The US Department of Defense abandoned the name War Department in 1949, after World War II, to indicate that Washington was focused on preventing, not prosecuting, wars.

Unprecedented day of mobilization

However, Trump's decision to blow up a suspected drug ship passing through the Caribbean, rather than seize the ship and arrest its crew, It is very unusual and evokes memories of the United States' fight against militant groups like Al Qaeda. Therefore, Venezuela has also responded with an unprecedented call for mobilization.

Maduro announced that Friday would be a "major day of organizing and mobilizing forces" for the Bolivarian National Militia, made up of armed civilians and reservists. The goal is to mobilize the 8.2 million people who, according to the government, have enlisted in recent days, in addition to another 4.5 million militia members they already have.

"All Venezuelan men and women, entire families who enlisted in all communities of the country, tomorrow Friday, September 5, throughout the day, will be summoned," said Maduro, who celebrated the "powerful base" of 4.5 million militiamen "already trained for years. "We are facing extremist currents from the north, Nazi-extremist, [...] that seek to threaten the peace of South America, of the Caribbean, and intend to continue attacking the rights of the peoples of the world," he said.

In addition, the Chavista leader assured that "for the first time in the military history of the country" what he called Communal Militia Units (UCM) will be activated in 5,336 communities, and explained that each one will have "a set of popular bases for integral defense," which are a total of 15.75. All of them will be called to participate in days with "higher and superior levels", Maduro announced the move, which will be "permanent."

The day of mobilization is a response to what Maduro considers "the greatest threat ever seen" in the Americas "in the last hundred years," with the deployment of US military ships with 1,200 missiles and a nuclear submarine "aimed" at the South American nation.