The US Secretary of Defense announced new military operations in Latin America
After attacks in the Caribbean and Pacific, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced new military operations against “narco-terrorists”. The mission is called “Southern Spear,” Hegseth explained Thursday via an online service
The post did not provide any details regarding the operation or how it differs from US military actions already carried out in the region. When asked about the exact nature of the military operation, a Pentagon spokesman referred only to X Hegseth’s contribution.
CBS News reported on Wednesday that senior military officials presented US President Donald Trump with updated options regarding a possible operation in Venezuela, including a ground strike.
Trump has sent several warships and warplanes to the Caribbean in recent weeks, the latest being the US aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford arriving off the coast of Latin America.
In early September, the US Army began attacking ships suspected of smuggling drugs in the Caribbean, and later ships in the eastern Pacific were also attacked. According to US information, so far at least 76 people have been killed in US attacks in international waters. The US has not provided any evidence that the ships attacked were actually carrying drugs.
The US accused Venezuela of actively encouraging drug smuggling into the US and thereby endangering the security of the US and its citizens. However, Venezuela’s left-wing nationalist President Nicolás Maduro classified the killing of a suspected drug trafficker as an illegal “execution” and suspected a US plot to overthrow him. Trump recently denied planning a military attack against Venezuela. At the same time, he said Maduro’s days were numbered.
AFP
