80 dead under ‘Operation Southern Spear’
U.S. Southern Command on Friday released footage of a deadly kinetic attack on a boat in international waters in the Caribbean on Monday, November 10. The US administration confirmed that four crew members on board were “killed”, bringing the total death toll to nearly 80 in more than 20 attacks since the operation began off the coast of Venezuela in August.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth officially named the mission ‘Southern Spear’ and argued that it was an action aimed at combating drug trafficking from Latin America. The deployment includes about 10,000 troops and the Pentagon’s flagship, the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, located near Venezuelan waters.
Relating to
Trump met with Pentagon officials in the Oval Office on Friday to discuss “a range of options,” including increased attacks, according to the Washington Post. US forces were “preparing for possible strike orders” and awaiting new operational guidelines, the newspaper quoted an official as saying.
Trump moves forward without revealing details
Asked by reporters about his next military action against Venezuela, Trump said, “I can’t tell you what it’s going to be, but I’ve kind of made up my mind.” Although he did not elaborate on their plans, he added that “they have made a lot of progress with Venezuela in stopping the mass flow of drugs.”
US officials, quoted by the Washington Post, said Trump was “very good at maintaining strategic uncertainty” and that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was “very afraid and should be afraid” given the variety of “damaging” options on the table. In October, Trump stated that he was not ruling out possible attacks on ground targets in both Venezuela and Colombia.
Venezuela’s reaction and regional tension
The Venezuelan government condemned ‘Operation Southern Spear’ and described it as a “pretext for intervention”. Maduro called on the public to prepare for an eventual “armed struggle” and announced that 200,000 military personnel would be deployed to the country.
In his speech broadcast on state television, Maduro made a direct appeal to the American people: “End the crazy hand of those who order bombings, killings and wars in South America and the Caribbean.” The Venezuelan leader drew parallels with other conflicts: Chavista leader asked “Do we want another Gaza in South America?” he questioned.
Tension in the region continues to rise as Washington does not rule out new military operations and the international community watches with concern the escalation of the war in the Caribbean.
