U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced on Thursday the start of a military operation to "eliminate drug terrorists" amid growing concerns that the increased presence of the U.S. Navy in the waters of Latin America could lead to ground strikes and a larger conflict, LETA reports citing AFP.
"Today I am announcing Operation 'Southern Spear'," wrote Hegseth on the X platform, explaining that the mission is aimed "at defending the homeland, eliminating drug terrorists from our hemisphere, and protecting our country from drugs that are killing our citizens."
Hegseth did not provide further details about the operation and how it differs from ongoing military actions.
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is conducting a military campaign in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean, deploying naval and air forces there. The operation is positioned as an offensive against the spread of drugs.
According to data released by the U.S., since the beginning of September, American forces have attacked at least 20 vessels in international waters, resulting in the deaths of at least 76 people. However, the U.S. has not yet provided evidence that these vessels were used for drug trafficking or posed a threat to the country.
CBS News reported on Wednesday, citing several sources, that senior military leadership briefed Trump on updated options for possible operations in Venezuela, including ground strikes.
On Tuesday, Venezuela announced a large-scale military deployment across the country in response to the increasing presence of the U.S. Navy off its shores. A U.S. aircraft carrier strike group recently arrived in the region.
Caracas expresses concern that this deployment, which also includes the sending of F-35 fighters to Puerto Rico and the positioning of six U.S. Navy ships in the Caribbean, is a covert operation for regime change.
Last week, Trump attempted to allay fears of a possible war with Venezuela, but stated that "the days of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro are numbered."
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>Yesterday, at the direction of President Trump, two lethal kinetic strikes were conducted on two vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations.
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) November 10, 2025
These vessels were known by our intelligence to be associated with illicit narcotics smuggling, were carrying narcotics, and… pic.twitter.com/ocUoGzwwDO
