The United States Southern Command announced this Wednesday (12/17) the carrying out of a new attack against a ship operated by a suspected organization classified as terrorist by Washington, in international waters of the Pacific Ocean. Four men, described as “narcoterrorists”, died in the action.
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According to the official statement, the operation was carried out by Joint Task Force Southern Spear, under the leadership of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Intelligence obtained reportedly indicated that the vessel was traveling a known drug trafficking route and was directly involved in international drug trafficking operations.
According to data published by Washington, military action in international waters has already resulted in at least 26 bombings against boats circulating in the region.
On December 17, under the direction of @SecWar Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear, conducted a deadly kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a designated terrorist organization in international waters. Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was transiting along a known route… pic.twitter.com/Yhu3LSOyea
– United States Southern Command (@Southcom) December 18, 2025
These actions are part of the so-called South Spear operation, which, according to the North American government, has as its central objective the fight against international drug trafficking.
Despite the official justification, the offensive is taking place against a backdrop of growing political confrontation with Venezuela. President Nicolás Maduro is a recurring target of Trump’s threats and is named by US authorities as the leader of the so-called Los Soles cartel.
In practice, this legal framework, which also affected other groups, opened gaps to carry out American military operations outside American territory, under the cover of the fight against terrorism.
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Escalation of conflict
In recent days, however, the tone of the White House has taken new contours. After announcing plans to impose a naval blockade on Venezuela, Trump accused the Maduro government of stealing oil, land and “other assets” from the United States. The Republican did not specify what property had been stolen, but once again used oil as the main argument to justify the escalation against Caracas.
“They took all of our oil not too long ago, and we want it back,” Trump said earlier, reinforcing his confrontational rhetoric.
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