Explosions around Caracas mark a sharp escalation in the U.S.–Venezuela confrontation, while analysts note that Venezuela’s roughly 123,000‑strong armed forces—backed by Russian‑supplied Su‑30MK2 fighters, S‑300VM, Buk‑M2E and Pantsir‑S1 air defenses, and Iranian‑origin CM‑90 anti‑ship missiles on fast Zolfaghar boats—can complicate U.S. operations in the Caribbean but are heavily outmatched by U.S. stealth bombers, cruise missiles, and naval power. Watch for more. I