New US offensive in the Pacific leaves eight dead

The US confirmed eight deaths after attacks on ships in the eastern Pacific. The offensive comes amid the largest regional military operation in decades

12/16/2025 – 10:46 am

According to official information dThese operations have no longer been possible since September at least 90 dead and 26 boats destroyed, against the backdrop of strong US military expansion in both the Pacific and the Caribbean.

Operation Southern Spear

The attacks occurred on Monday, December 15, as part of the called operation Southern spear (Southern SpeaR). According to the United States Southern Command, the offensive was carried out by the Joint Task Force under direct orders from the Secretary of Defense. Pete Hegseth.

The Southern Command itself stated this on a social network “lethal kinetic attacks against three vessels operated by designated terrorist organizations in international waters.”

The official intelligence report

According to the report released by US authorities, the targets attacked moved along maritime corridors linked to drug trafficking. The statement contains details:

“Intelligence confirmed that the ships were transiting known drug trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and that they were engaged in drug trafficking activities. In total, eight male narco-terrorists died in these operations: three on the first ship, two on the second and three on the third.“.

An increasingly tense regional scenario

Although the events occurred in the Pacific, they coincided with a sustained reinforcement of US military operations in the Caribbean and with a discursive escalation by the president Donald Trump on Venezuela. The US President reiterated that he would advance operations on Venezuelan territory to dismantle drug trafficking networks.

A week ago he also stated that the Colombian President, Gustavo Petro was “next”.

Criticism of possible extrajudicial executions

International law experts question the legality of these actions and claim that they could be extrajudicial killings, especially after learning that one of the boats was attacked for the second time after two people survived the first impact.

The issue also reached the US Congress, where lawmakers questioned Hegseth about the scope and proportionality of the attacks.

Largest military operation since the Gulf War

Since September, the United States has steadily increased its naval presence in the region. A study about Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) claims that this is the largest US naval operation since First Gulf War.

Notable movements include the presence of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Fordthe seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker and the use of airports in Trinidad and Tobago for logistical tasks and troop rotation.

Venezuela, Trinidad and Maduro’s response

Trinidad and Tobago, which is just 12 kilometers from Venezuela at its closest point, supported U.S. military reinforcements. In response, the President Nicolas Maduro warned that his country could stop gas deliveries to the Caribbean state.

The United States, ignoring the legitimacy of the Venezuelan government, claims that Nicolás Maduro is the leader of the demand Cartel of Sunsan organization he associates with the drug trade.

Complaint of aggression and plunder of resources

Maduro, meanwhile, rejected the attacks by the United States and viewed them as illegal. He explained that they were a strategy to justify foreign intervention and to promote Venezuela’s energy resources, particularly oil and gas.