U.S. Southern Command announced on Monday that it had carried out another airstrike against boats alleged to be transporting dangerous narcotics to the United States.
This is the latest in a series of airstrikes suspected of targeting narco-boats in the Caribbean near Venezuela’s coast.
From ABC News:
U.S. Southern Command said in a statement late on Monday that a strike "at the direction" of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in the Eastern Pacific hit a vessel and killed one man it alleged to be a "narco-terrorist."
"Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a low-profile vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters," the statement said.
"Intelligence confirmed the low-profile vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations," it continued. "One male narco-terrorist was confirmed killed during this action."
On Dec. 22, at the direction of @SecWar Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a low-profile vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters. Intelligence confirmed the low-profile vessel was transiting… pic.twitter.com/LGzEaQSTiR
— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) December 23, 2025
The airstrikes are part of President Donald Trump’s efforts to curb the flow of fentanyl and other dangerous drugs into the United States. So far, the military actions have killed more than 100 alleged drug smugglers, according to NBC News.
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The United States has conducted more than two dozen strikes against alleged drug boats, killing over 100 people in the Pacific and Caribbean since September, according to the Pentagon.
Speaking to reporters Monday, President Donald Trump would not specify what his “end game” in the region was, but he issued a warning to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
"He could do whatever he wants, it’s all right, whatever he wants to do," Trump said. "If he wants to do something, if he plays tough, it’ll be the last time he’s ever able to play tough."
Asked whether the ultimate goal was to force Maduro from power, Trump said: “That’s up to him what he wants to do. I think it would be smart for him to do that.”
Trump extended his warning to Venezuela’s neighbors, saying Colombian President Gustavo Petro, a leftist who has drawn Trump’s ire after he loudly opposed the boat strikes, was “no friend of the United States.”
“He’s very bad, very bad guy, and he’s got to watch his a--,” Trump said.
“We love the Colombian people. I love the Colombian people. They’re great people, energetic, smart, great. But their new leader is a troublemaker, and he better watch it,” he added.
Supporters of the strikes say they are a necessary and lawful tool to defend Americans against drug cartels. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth argued that they are pre-emptive measures that will save “millions” from overdose deaths. Others contend that since cartels have been designated as foreign terrorist organizations, they are now lawful military targets.
On the other hand, critics argue that there is no actual armed conflict with Venezuela or Tren de Aragua, so the laws of war don’t apply in this case. They say that the airstrikes are arbitrary, extrajudicial executions under human rights laws, not legitimate self-defense.
Others say drug smuggling, while illegal, is not an “armed attack” on Americans that allows the government to use lethal force. Some have pointed out that the U.S. has not publicly identified those killed or provided actual evidence that they were drug smugglers or enemy combatants.
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