US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Thursday announced a new US military campaign, dubbed “Operation Southern Spear,” which he said was ordered by President Trump.
Hegseth’s announcement came as US officials revealed that the US bombed another alleged drug-running boat in the region on Monday, marking the 20th strike and the 21st boat the US military has blown up since the campaign began in early September. The officials said that the latest strike killed four “narco-terrorists,” a term the Trump administration uses to justify the extrajudicial executions at sea.
According to numbers released by the Trump administration, the latest boat strike brings the total number of people killed in the campaign to 79. The Pentagon has offered no evidence to back up its claims that the boats it has been bombing were carrying drugs, and it has also admitted to Congress that it doesn’t know the identities of the people who have been killed.
The US has been facing growing criticism of the bombing campaign, which is clearly illegal under domestic and international law, but Hegseth’s statement signals the strikes will increase.
“Today, I’m announcing Operation SOUTHERN SPEAR,” Hegseth wrote on X. “Led by Joint Task Force Southern Spear and [US Southern Command], this mission defends our Homeland, removes narco-terrorists from our Hemisphere, and secures our Homeland from the drugs that are killing our people. The Western Hemisphere is America’s neighborhood – and we will protect it.”
Hegseth’s statement and the new military operation could also signal a move toward war with Venezuela, as CBS News reported earlier in the day that he was involved in a briefing with President Trump on potential military operations in the South American country, including strikes on land.
