Tensions flared at the Panama Canal as the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Stockdale docked at Balboa Port amid escalating conflict with Venezuela. Locals expressed outrage and fear, calling it a military intervention disguised as a drug operation. The U.S. claims it’s a routine deployment under a security cooperation deal signed in April. However, rising troop deployments and warship presence near Venezuelan waters are fueling regional anxiety and speculation of deeper strategic motives.