2025 saw a major increase in US airstrikes due to President Trump loosening the rules of engagement for military commanders and launching new interventions in the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America.
According to a report from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) released earlier this year, Trump launched nearly as many airstrikes in just his first five months in office as President Biden did during his entire four-year term.
If Trump’s claims of a Christmas Eve attack on Venezuela and reports that it was a CIA drone strike are true, the US has bombed seven countries this year, on top of the airstrikes targeting alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific Ocean.
Somalia
The Trump administration has conducted an unprecedented escalation of the US air war in Somalia this year, launching at least 127 airstrikes, more than double the previous annual record of US bombings in the country, which Trump set at 63 during his first term in office.
According to New America, an organization that tracks the air war, the airstrikes launched this year are more than were conducted in Somalia during the administrations of Joe Biden, Barack Obama, and George W. Bush combined.
US airstrikes in Somalia have targeted al-Shabaab in the south and a small ISIS affiliate based in caves in the northeastern Puntland region. There have been some reports of civilians being killed in US airstrikes and military operations conducted by US-backed forces in recent months.
Overall, it’s difficult to ascertain the situation on the ground in Somalia, as there’s virtually no US media coverage of the air war despite the unprecedented escalation. The US-backed government, which is based in Mogadishu, is also known for arresting and restricting journalists who report critically on Somalia’s security forces, and al-Shabaab maintains restrictions on internet use in the areas under its control.
Nigeria
President Trump launched the first known US missile strikes in Nigeria on Christmas Day, which were conducted by a US warship in the Gulf of Guinea.
The Nigerian government said the target was “two major Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist enclaves” in the forests of the Tangaza district in Nigeria’s northwest Sokoto State, an area that’s not known as a major hub for ISIS-affiliated militants, raising questions about why it was the US’s first target.
US missiles also fell on two villages that were not the intended target, according to the Nigerian government, destroying several homes and scaring residents. Nearly a week after the US strikes, it’s unclear if there were any casualties among ISIS-affiliated militants. Analysts suspect the target was the Lakurawa, an armed group that’s believed to be linked to ISIS.
Yemen
The Trump administration launched a heavy bombing campaign in Yemen starting on March 15 in response to the Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, announcing they were re-imposing their blockade on Israeli shipping due to Israeli violations of the short-lived Gaza ceasefire deal signed back in January.
The US campaign, dubbed “Operation Rough Rider,” was especially brutal and killed more than 250 civilians, according to Air Wars. Strikes included the April 17 bombing of the Ras Issa Fuel Port, which killed 84 people, all civilians. A few days later, the US bombed a migrant detention facility in Sadaa, Yemen, killing 68 African migrants.
Operation Rough Rider ended with a ceasefire between the US and the Houthis on May 6. The US failed to stop Houthi attacks on Israel and Israeli-linked shipping, which only ended after the latest Gaza ceasefire deal was signed in October.
Iraq and Syria
The US has launched airstrikes in Iraq and Syria this year under the US-led anti-ISIS coalition and has several thousand troops in both countries. On December 19, the US launched significant strikes in Syria that it said targeted ISIS in response to a December 13 attack in central Syria that killed two US National Guard members and an American civilian interpreter.
However, the attack that killed the three Americans was launched by a member of the Syrian government’s security forces and was not claimed by ISIS. The Trump administration has made an ally out of the new Syrian government despite the fact that it’s led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an offshoot of al-Qaeda, and has absorbed foreign jihadists into its military, putting US troops at risk of more insider attacks.
US troops are now regularly conducting raids with both Syrian government fighters and members of the Kurdish-led SDF against suspected ISIS members. CENTCOM said on December 30 that its forces and partners “killed or captured nearly 25 ISIS operatives” in Syria since the December 19 airstrikes.
Iran
President Trump became the first US president to bomb Iran in June when US B-2 bombers armed with 30,000-pound bunker-busting bombs and submarines firing Tomahawk missiles targeted Iranian nuclear facilities. The US also supported heavy Israeli airstrikes across Iran, which killed more than 1,000 people over 12 days of war.
The US refueled Israeli jets that were bombing Iran and spent billions of dollars intercepting missiles that were being fired at Israel. Many Iranian missiles made it through US and Israeli air defenses, which is ultimately what led to Israel agreeing to a ceasefire after 12 days.
Another US-Israeli war on Iran seems likely in 2026 as Israel is seeking US support for more attacks, with Iran’s conventional missiles being the pretext. President Trump said on Monday that he would support an Israeli attack if Iran “continues” its missile program or if it rebuilds its damaged nuclear facilities.
The Caribbean and Eastern Pacific
The Trump administration began conducting a bombing campaign targeting boats in the Caribbean Sea near Venezuela that it claimed were carrying drugs on September 2. The attacks started as part of the pressure campaign against Venezuela aimed at ousting President Nicolas Maduro, and later expanded to the Eastern Pacific Ocean, where the majority have now been launched.
According to numbers released by the Trump administration, a total of 30 strikes have been launched, and 107 people have been killed in what are extra-judicial executions that clearly violate US and international law. Throughout the bombing campaign, the Pentagon has provided no evidence to back up its claims about what the boats were carrying, and it has admitted to not knowing the identities of all the people it has killed.
Venezuela
President Trump has claimed that the US launched an attack inside Venezuela on December 24 that blew up a “major facility” where boats were loaded with drugs. After his comments, US media reported, citing anonymous officials, that the CIA conducted a drone strike targeting a dock facility the US believed was being used by the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
US officials speaking to the media outlets said there was no one present at the facility at the time, and there were no casualties. At this point, the attack still hasn’t been confirmed by the Venezuelan government or sources in Venezuela, but if true, the strike marks a major escalation in the US aggression against the country, which has also involved a naval blockade and the seizure of two tankers carrying Venezuelan oil.
The Trump administration has been clear that its goal in its campaign against Venezuela is regime change, while using false claims that Maduro’s government is a “cartel” as a pretext. There’s no sign that’s Trump’s willing to back down against Maduro, making a full-blown war with the country likely in 2026.
