Los embalses de El Salvador muestran niveles similares e incluso levemente superiores entre enero y julio de 2026 respecto al mismo periodo de 2025, a pesar de la fuerte presencia del fenómeno de El Niño, que ha extendido la temporada seca y elevado las temperaturas por encima de los 40 °C en distintas regiones del país. Según datos oficiales de la Unidad de Transacciones (UT) analizados por Infobae, los principales reservorios del país han mantenido niveles similares a los de 2025, mientras las autoridades advierten sobre la necesidad de monitoreo constante y gestión eficiente del recurso hídrico.

El fenómeno de El Niño se instaló plenamente sobre el territorio salvadoreño desde el 23 de junio de 2026, como confirmó el Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (MARN). El organismo anticipó que julio y agosto serán los meses más secos y calurosos del año, con temperaturas que ya han superado los 40 °C en distintas regiones del país. Según la proyección oficial, las zonas oriental y costera serán las más afectadas por una sequía meteorológica que podría prolongarse más de dos semanas sin lluvias en algunas áreas, lo que representa un riesgo para la recarga natural de los embalses y la producción agrícola nacional.

Los embalses de Guajoyo, Cerrón Grande, 5 de Noviembre, 15 de Septiembre y 3 de Febrero han mantenido niveles similares a los de 2025. El informe técnico revela que durante los primeros seis meses y medio de 2026, el embalse de Guajoyo ha mantenido niveles muy próximos a los registrados el año pasado. En enero, el nivel fue de 420,9 metros sobre el nivel del mar (msnm), apenas por debajo de los 421,2 msnm observados el año anterior.

Esta ligera diferencia se sostuvo en los meses siguientes, con valores que oscilaron entre 420,8 y 421,0 msnm en 2026, frente a un rango de 421,0 a 421,6 msnm en 2025. La mayor diferencia se presentó en mayo, con 421,6 msnm en 2025 frente a 421,0 msnm en 2026, aunque la brecha fue siempre menor a un metro sobre el nivel del mar.

El comportamiento de la represa Cerrón Grande fue similar. Los niveles se mantuvieron estables, con una leve reducción en 2026 respecto a 2025. En enero de 2026 se registraron 231,9 msnm, apenas 0,1 msnm menos que el año previo. Esta pequeña diferencia se repitió cada mes, sin superar los 0,2 msnm entre ambos años, y mostrando una tendencia a la estabilidad, con valores que no experimentaron cambios abruptos entre enero y julio.

En el caso del embalse 5 de Noviembre, se observó una diferencia más marcada, aunque siempre dentro de un rango estrecho. En enero de 2026, el nivel fue de 178,2 msnm, en comparación con 178,4 msnm en 2025. Durante los meses de febrero a julio, los niveles de 2026 se mantuvieron entre 178,1 y 178,2 msnm, mientras que en 2025 oscilaron entre 178,3 y 178,6 msnm. La diferencia máxima se registró en mayo, con una distancia de 0,4 msnm, indicando que el embalse experimentó una leve reducción en el volumen de agua almacenada durante el presente año.

El embalse 15 de Septiembre mostró el comportamiento más estable de todos. Tanto en 2025 como en 2026, los niveles mensuales permanecieron prácticamente sin cambios, situándose en 47,4 msnm en la mayoría de los meses de ambos años. Únicamente en febrero de 2025 se observó una pequeña variación hasta 47,3 msnm, mientras que en 2026 todos los meses se mantuvieron constantes en 47,4 msnm.

Finalmente, el embalse 3 de Febrero presentó un patrón de estabilidad similar. En enero de 2026, el nivel fue de 200,7 msnm, 0,1 msnm menos que el año anterior. Esta diferencia marginal se sostuvo hasta julio, con valores entre 200,6 y 200,7 msnm en 2026 y entre 200,7 y 200,9 msnm en 2025. No se registraron fluctuaciones significativas ni descensos abruptos a lo largo del periodo analizado.

De acuerdo a los datos de la UT, todos los embalses evaluados mostraron una tendencia general de estabilidad durante el primer semestre de 2026 en comparación con el mismo periodo del año anterior. Las diferencias mensuales se mantuvieron dentro de márgenes muy reducidos, lo que refleja la capacidad de los sistemas de almacenamiento para resistir los efectos de la temporada seca y el fenómeno de El Niño, al menos durante los primeros seis meses y medio del año.

La estabilidad de los niveles de los embalses contrasta con la reducción de lluvias, que ya afecta a la principal temporada agrícola del país. De acuerdo con los datos de la UT, la disminución de precipitaciones ha obligado a reducir áreas de siembra de maíz y frijol, cultivos básicos para la subsistencia. Además, la franja conocida como el Corredor Seco, que atraviesa Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador y Nicaragua, enfrenta el mayor riesgo de sequía prolongada y crisis alimentaria, según lo señalado por la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Alimentación y la Agricultura (FAO) y el Programa Mundial de Alimentos (PMA).

El MARN explicó que El Niño consiste en el calentamiento anómalo de las aguas superficiales del océano Pacífico ecuatorial, lo que altera la circulación atmosférica y provoca una reducción de la nubosidad, así como un descenso en el ingreso de humedad desde el Caribe. La Organización Meteorológica Mundial advirtió que el episodio actual evolucionará hacia una fase fuerte entre julio y septiembre, con anomalías de temperatura superficial del mar superiores a los 2 °C respecto al promedio. Este fenómeno ha llevado a que el Sistema de la Integración Centroamericana (SICA) proyecte lluvias irregulares, una canícula más larga y temperaturas por encima de los registros históricos para toda la región.

A nivel energético, El Salvador opera con una capacidad eléctrica de 3,500 megavatios y cumple un rol exportador en Centroamérica. La matriz energética nacional, dependiente en gran parte de la hidroelectricidad, podría enfrentar restricciones si el déficit hídrico se agrava en lo que resta de la temporada seca. Las autoridades han reiterado la importancia de fortalecer la resiliencia del sistema y optimizar el uso del agua.

El informe de la UT destaca que, pese a la menor pluviometría, las variaciones mensuales entre enero y julio de 2026 no superaron los rangos previstos por los modelos hidrológicos. Este desempeño ha permitido mantener la operación de las hidroeléctricas sin restricciones graves hasta el momento.

Sin embargo, tanto la CEL como el MARN insisten en la necesidad de vigilancia permanente y coordinación regional para anticipar escenarios de mayor déficit hídrico, sobre todo de cara al pico de intensidad de El Niño previsto para el trimestre julio a septiembre.

Steve Forbes says the United States must double down on efforts to topple the Tehran regime, arguing that free passage through the Strait of Hormuz should remain a non-negotiable American imperative.

As the U.S. struck targets in Iran for a ninth consecutive day on Sunday, pressure on the Tehran regime continued to build. Speaking at Freedom Fest in Las Vegas, the chairman and editor-in-chief of Forbes and former presidential candidate sat down with Fox News Digital to discuss Iran and the Trump administration’s foreign policy.

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«Going back to Thomas Jefferson, a core foreign policy plank of the United States is freedom of the seas. Freedom of navigation got us into another war with Great Britain, the War of 1812,» Forbes said.

«So we’ve been doing it for over two centuries. The Strait of Hormuz is an international waterway, just as the South China Sea is an international waterway. And so we must keep that open. 

August 1804: Tracers arc in the sky as ships of the U.S. navy bombard Tripoli in an action against a ruler who supported the Tripolitan (Barbary) pirates. The pirates demanded protection money from all ships and the USA decided to go to war to release their hold on the area.  (MPI/Getty Images)

«No tolls, no restrictions, all ships of commerce should have free passage through it unmolested.»

Forbes said that with proper application of air power, boots on the ground wouldn’t be needed, but he would not discard that as an option, bringing the example of the engagement with the Barbary pirates, which brought freedom of navigation to the Mediterranean following the completion of the First Barbary War of 1805.

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The U.S. military has been enforcing a naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, even during the ceasefire. (U.S. Central Command)

«If we do things right in the air, that won’t be necessary. But as we demonstrated with the Barbary pirates, sometimes you do need hand-to-hand combat. But again, with our great military and the great Israeli military, we should be able to bring this evil regime down and enable the elements in the Iranian army that want change to feel we’re not going to pull the rug out from under them with another fake ceasefire. That we keep hammering away at this evil regime.»

A container ship, right, and a cargo vessel are seen in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, June 17, 2026. (Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via AP)

Ultimately, Forbes said freedom of navigation should be an international red line:

«So the key thing is, if you don’t enforce these key principles of freedom of navigation, liberty, you’re going to lose them. Ronald Reagan was right. Others have made the same observation. You have to preserve liberty each and every generation.»

President Ronald Reagan gives a speech from the Oval Office of the White House. (Diana Walker/Getty Images)

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Forbes said the time for diplomacy with Tehran has passed, and encouraged the Trump administration to ratchet up the pressure, while also praising a recent decision on Ukraine policy.

«Get Iran done with. No more fake ceasefires. Get rid of that evil regime. By the way, I’m delighted that he’s saying he’s going to give licensing for Patriot missiles to Ukraine. That’ll bring a good result there.»

EXCLUSIVE – Seventy-eight Super Bowls in 38 days. This was the scale of the task facing the Federal Bureau of Investigation going into the first World Cup final the United States has hosted in more than 30 years.

«That’s what we executed on,» FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview detailing the largest commitment of the agency’s resources ever devoted to securing a sporting event – the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

«We’re proud to report that, thank God, and thankfully to the men and women of the FBI and our partners, we had no significant criminal attacks during this World Cup,» Patel said. «And just to put that in perspective, we had 6.5 million people attend the 78 matches in the U.S. across 11 venues.»

Patel said the planning and execution had to be «mathematically precise.»

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The tournament shattered previous attendance records and brought millions of international visitors to the country. The FBI dedicated nearly 5,000 personnel to the effort, including more than 4,000 from field offices, 800 from FBI headquarters and two legal attaché offices, along with support from 59 Homeland Security task forces. 

The bureau also conducted approximately 300,000 background checks on players, coaches and other accredited personnel. All told, nearly 7 million fans from all over the world attended World Cup games in the United States, Canada and Mexico, all with no reported major security incidents. In fact, getting into the stadiums often took fans less than 15 minutes for games that averaged more than 65,000 in house.

A defining element of the FBI’s security operation was its aggressive response to the rapidly evolving drone threat. Recognizing that even a low-cost unmanned aircraft could be used to surveil players practicing at the dozens of team base camps around the country, track their movements to and from hotels, probe for security tactics at stadiums or fan zones, disrupt an event or deliver an explosive or chemical device, the bureau treated every unauthorized incursion as a potential threat.

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Exclusive: FBI Director Kash Patel views a large screen filled with data inside the FBI’s Intelligence Coordination Center. Patel praised the agency and its partners that helped secure a record-shattering World Cup. (Leigh Green for Fox News Digital)

«If you’re in the space, we’re gonna take you down. And that’s why we took down over 700,» Patel said. «Some of these folks were maybe borderline nuisances, while many of them were criminal in terms of violations of FAA airspace and also failing to register their drones… We’re not taking any chances.»

The FBI established its first dedicated counter-UAS (unmanned aircraft system) school at Redstone Arsenal in Alabama to train state and local officers in detecting, tracking and intercepting unauthorized drones. Those officers were then deployed on FBI-led ground-intercept teams at World Cup venues, creating a nationwide counter-drone capability built for a threat that barely existed when the U.S. last hosted the tournament in 1994.

Exclusive: FBI Director Kash Patel speaks with personnel at the agency’s Intelligence Coordination Center. Patel praised the FBI and its partners for safely securing the World Cup. (Leigh Green for Fox News Digital)

«We, the FBI, specifically train for the worst of the worst,» Patel said, pointing to the possibility of drones being used to deploy explosives or chemical agents. Former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino was instrumental in developing the bureau’s counter-drone program.

That preparation was tested as the World Cup was getting underway, when investigators uncovered an alleged coordinated attack targeting UFC Freedom 250 at the White House.

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Exclusive: An FBI employee works inside the agency’s Intelligence Coordination Center, monitoring threats and coordinating security operations for the World Cup. (Leigh Green for Fox News Digital)

Federal prosecutors allege the suspects planned to use explosive-laden drones to trigger panic and force crowds to evacuate into areas where armed attackers could strike. Patel said the FBI launched a six-state operation, tracked the alleged threat through online communications and began a coordinated takedown «before the first punch was thrown,» allowing the event to proceed without an attack.

Eight defendants have since been charged, although the allegations remain unproven and the defendants are presumed innocent.

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International cooperation was another critical component of the World Cup security operation.

«They’re working overseas in their home locations and giving us information back in real time on any single threat that’s coming in,» Patel said.

Exclusive: FBI Director Kash Patel interacts with personnel inside the agency’s hub that was established to secure the World Cup. (Leigh Green for Fox News Digital)

The FBI hosted the International Police Cooperation Center in Northern Virginia, deploying more than 70 personnel to work alongside officers from U.S. host cities and security officials representing the nations sending teams to the tournament. 

The FBI also assembled a Joint Operations Center with foreign police representatives from 46 of the 48 participating countries, allowing investigators to receive real-time threat intelligence from officials who understood their teams, fan bases and domestic security concerns. That information was supported by the FBI’s Intelligence Coordination Center, where more than 400 personnel processed an average of 26 incidents per day and produced nearly 100 intelligence reports for federal, state, local and private-sector partners, according to the FBI.

Patel credited the White House Task Force on the FIFA World Cup with bringing federal, state and local agencies together under a unified security strategy. Established by President Donald Trump and led by Andrew Giuliani’s team, the task force served as a central hub for interagency planning, intelligence sharing and the rapid deployment of law enforcement resources across the tournament’s 11 U.S. host cities.

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«Like anything in government, to succeed, you need tremendous leadership,» Patel said. «President Trump had the foresight to establish the White House Task Force… and what they were able to do was bring in the interagency, at least at the federal level, and then work with us at the state and local levels through our partnerships and put everybody under one roof.»

Patel said the coordinated structure allowed the FBI to quickly send bomb technicians, evidence teams, tactical operators, SWAT personnel and hostage-rescue capabilities wherever additional resources were needed.

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«President Trump set the standard: Not only were we going to have the largest and safest sporting event in the history of the world, but we were going to make sure everyone had a great time. Those were the marching orders,» Patel said.

He pointed to the social media videos showing international fans enjoying restaurants, pubs, sporting venues and other distinctly American experiences — even joking that Europeans fell in love with ranch dressing.

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«These are small vignettes, but they quantify and qualify how awesome America did,» Patel said. «And I don’t just mean government. I mean the private sector. They came in and partnered with us as well.»

Exclusive: Large screens display data inside the FBI’s command center. (Leigh Green for Fox News Digital)

Patel said those partnerships helped generate billions of dollars in revenue across the country while giving visitors a memorable experience.

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«They wanted not just safety and security, but to show off America to the world,» he said. «And I think we did it brilliantly.»