Five U.S. F-35B Lightning II fighter jets landed at Roosevelt Roads Naval Station in Ceiba, Puerto Rico, between 10:02 PM and 10:16 PM UTC on September 13th, 2025, establishing the base as a staging area amid escalating maritime tensions with Venezuela. Venezuelan official Jorge RodrÃguez appeared with militiamen in the field during this period, according to a social media post by Emma Rincon on X. Rincon also stated that RodrÃguez had sent allies to Washington to observe the possibility of delivering Maduro. These developments follow previous reports of U.S. military movements in the region, including the F-35s' arrival from MCAS Yuma with obscured markings. Venezuela has accused a U.S. Navy unit of assaulting its fishing boat "Carmen Rosa" and alleged U.S. Marines from the USS Jason Dunham assaulted a ship belonging to the Los Soles cartel. RodrÃguez had previously announced that 8 million militiamen are preparing to defend the nation.
