The U.S. military conducted a strike against a vessel allegedly trafficking drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Monday, killing one person, according to U.S. Southern Command. The strike was directed by Acting Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and carried out by Joint Task Force Southern Spear in international waters.
Operation Southern Spear
U.S. Southern Command stated no U.S. service members were harmed during the operation. At least 105 people have been killed in strikes on suspected drug boats as part of Operation Southern Spear, a campaign initiated by the Trump administration to curtail narcotics trafficking. The military most recently struck two alleged drug-trafficking boats in the eastern Pacific Ocean last week, resulting in five deaths.
The administration has labeled those killed as “unlawful combatants” and asserted the authority to engage in lethal strikes without judicial review, citing a classified Justice Department finding.
Increased Military Action and Venezuela
The strikes are part of increased U.S. military activity in South America amid a pressure campaign on Venezuela. President Trump has accused Venezuela of stealing U.S. “oil, land and other assets.”
Last week, Trump ordered a “total and complete blockade” of sanctioned oil tankers traveling to and from Venezuela. The U.S. has intercepted two tankers off the Venezuelan coast this month and remains in pursuit of another. These interdictions are occurring alongside a significant U.S. naval and troop buildup in the Caribbean, as Trump seeks to pressure Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and disrupt his oil revenues.
Trump declined to outline his endgame in Venezuela on Monday, while again raising the threat of land strikes and suggesting it would be “smart” for Maduro to step down. “There’s no answer. He can do whatever he wants. We have a massive armada — the biggest we’ve ever had, and the biggest we’ve ever had in South America,” Trump said. “He can do whatever he wants. It’s all right, whatever he wants to do. If he wants to do something, if he plays tough, it’d be the last time he’s ever able to play tough.”
Venezuela has criticized the U.S. naval blockade, claiming it would disrupt global energy supplies. In a letter signed by Maduro and read by Foreign Minister Yván Gil, Venezuela also condemned the U.S. military deployment in the Caribbean as “a direct threat involving the use of force.” The letter further condemned the U.S. attacks on vessels in the Caribbean and the Pacific, describing them as a “systematic practice of lethal force” outside international law.
This story has been updated with additional details.
CNN’s Alessandra Freitas contributed to this report.
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