Daily Archives: 15. Dezember 2025


15.12.2025 - 02:41 [ New York Times ]

Behind the Seized Venezuelan Tanker, Cuba’s Secret Lifeline

(December 12, 2025)

President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela and his predecessor, Hugo Chávez, have for decades sent oil to Cuba at highly subsidized prices, providing a crucial resource at low cost to the impoverished island.

In return, the Cuban government over the years has sent tens of thousands of medics, sports instructors and, increasingly, security professionals on assignments to Venezuela. That exchange has assumed special importance as Mr. Maduro has leaned on Cuban bodyguards and counterintelligence officers to protect himself against the U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean

15.12.2025 - 02:23 [ U.S. Southern Command ]

Cooperative Security Locations

Caribbean CSL (Aruba-Curacao, The Netherlands Antilles)

The CSL is at two locations: Curaçao`s Hato International Airport and Aruba`s Reina Beatrix International Airport. The formal 10-year access agreement with the Kingdom of the Netherlands was signed in March 2000 and the Netherlands` parliament ratified the agreement in October 2001. Both CSL locations required minor construction improvements to include aircraft parking ramps, maintenance, and operations buildings. Counter-drug flights were made from these locations even as improvements were being made. To date, the Aruba CSL has seen limited improvement and use while the Curacao CSL has received all required improvements to include ramp space for two large, two medium, and six small aircraft, a fresh water rise facility, a maintenance hangar, and an operations building.

Aruba-Curacao provides effective, rapid response operations in the northern source zone, which includes the Guajira Peninsula of Colombia and the Venezuelan border region, as well as a large part of the transit zone. The U.S. Air Force handles day-to-day operations at the CSL.

15.12.2025 - 02:21 [ SimpleFlying.com ]

„Outrageous“: JetBlue A320 Narrowly Avoids Mid-Air Collision With US Military Tanker Over Curaçao

To maintain a safe level of separation, the JetBlue aircraft halted its climb and leveled its altitude before eventually climbing again to cruising altitude. During communications between the aircraft and ATC, Curaçao‘s control center confirmed that the military tanker was not visible on their screens either.

With its transponder not switched on, the aircraft would also not have been visible to JetBlue‘s Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), which relies on transponder signals from nearby aircraft to warn of potential collisions. While this near-miss occurred during daylight hours, the situation could have been a lot worse if it happened at night during minimal visibility.

15.12.2025 - 02:15 [ CNN ]

JetBlue plane near Venezuela avoids ‘midair collision’ with US Air Force aircraft

A JetBlue flight from the small Caribbean nation of Curaçao halted its ascent to avoid colliding with a US Air Force refueling tanker on Friday, and the pilot blamed the military plane for crossing his path.

“We almost had a midair collision up here,” the JetBlue pilot said, according to a recording of his conversation with air traffic control. “They passed directly in our flight path. … They don’t have their transponder turned on, it’s outrageous.”

The incident involved JetBlue Flight 1112 from Curaçao, which is just off the coast of Venezuela, en route to New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.

15.12.2025 - 01:26 [ Nation News Barbados ]

US landing military aircraft in Santo Domingo

Santo Domingo – The government of the Dominican Republic has authorised several United States military aircraft to land in the country in the coming days as part of an operational support deployment in the Caribbean.

The aircraft will have temporary permits to operate from restricted areas at San Isidro Air Base and Las Américas International Airport.

15.12.2025 - 01:18 [ CNC3.co.tt ]

US military aircraft to arrive in Dominican Republic for deployment in the Caribbean

(December 13, 2025)

The C-130, in service since 1954, is one of the most successful military transport aircraft in history. Designed for rugged operations during the Cold War, it has been used in conflicts such as Vietnam and Desert Storm, as well as major humanitarian missions in Haiti, during Hurricane Katrina, and in global disaster zones.

The KC-130, introduced in the 1960s, serves as a tanker and logistics aircraft, enabling aerial refueling for fighter jets, helicopters, and drones.

It has supported operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya, as well as nighttime special operations and personnel transport.

15.12.2025 - 01:16 [ France24.com ]

Dominican Republic to allow US to use facilities for anti-drug ops

(November 27, 2025)

The announcement came during a visit by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to Santo Domingo, as the United States seeks to ramp up pressure on leftist Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, whom Washington accuses of heading a drug cartel.

„We have authorized the United States, for a limited time, to use restricted areas at the San Isidro Air Base and the Las Americas International Airport for logistical operations of aircraft,“ including refueling and the transport of equipment and personnel, President Luis Abinader told a news conference.

15.12.2025 - 00:52 [ Middle East Monitor ]

3 killed in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon despite ceasefire

December 14, 2025 at 8:07 pm

(…)

The attacks came amid reports that Lebanon had received warnings from Arab and international parties on Israeli preparations to launch a large-scale offensive in Lebanon.

15.12.2025 - 00:50 [ SadaNews.ps ]

Two Martyrs in Israeli Airstrikes and Ongoing Escalation in Southern Lebanon

Sunday 14 December 2025 – Time: 14:24

SadaNews – Two Lebanese citizens were martyred and another was injured today, Sunday, in two separate Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon; the first targeted a motorcycle in the town of Yater, and the second hit a car between the towns of Safad al-Batikh and Barashit, marking a new escalation of Israeli assaults on southern regions.

Additionally, an Israeli drone targeted a vehicle in the town of Joya, with the toll from the attack still unknown; while the Israeli army stated that it targeted three members of Hezbollah in various areas of southern Lebanon.

15.12.2025 - 00:21 [ APNews.com ]

Zelenskyy offers to drop NATO bid for security guarantees but rejects US push to cede territory

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday voiced readiness to drop his country’s bid to join NATO in exchange for Western security guarantees, but rejected the U.S. push for ceding territory to Russia as he held talks with U.S. envoys on ending the war.

Zelenskyy sat down with U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

15.12.2025 - 00:20 [ Kyiv Independent ]

US hails ‚progress made‘ in peace talks with Zelensky, set to continue in Berlin on Dec. 15

In a readout provided by Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy said that a „lot of progress was made“ during the meeting, without providing details.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Zelensky signaled that Ukraine seeks NATO-like security guarantees as part of a peace deal to prevent future Russian aggression, as full membership is opposed by the U.S. and other partners.

Ahead of the meeting, Axios reported, citing a senior U.S. official, that the Trump administration may be willing to provide Congress-approved NATO-like security guarantees.