20th U.S. Strike in Caribbean Kills Four as ‘Operation Southern Spear’ Expands Naval Presence

U.S. Strike in the Caribbean Raises Tensions and Questions

The U.S. military said Friday that its 20th strike on a vessel suspected of drug trafficking killed four people in the Caribbean Sea. Southern Command posted that the attack occurred on Monday and said the strikes, which began in September, have now resulted in 80 deaths. The Mexican Navy reportedly ended a search for a survivor after four days following a separate late‑October strike.

A Southern Command video clip shows a boat racing across the water before being engulfed in flames. The command said intelligence indicated the vessel "was involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, transiting along a known narco‑trafficking route, and carrying narcotics." The announcement came from Southern Command rather than from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directly, although Hegseth quickly reshared the statement on social media.

Operation Southern Spear and a growing naval buildup. The administration is expanding its presence in the region by deploying the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, which is expected to arrive after sailing from the Mediterranean. Defense officials have named the effort "Operation Southern Spear." Once the carrier joins the task force, the mission is expected to include nearly a dozen Navy ships and roughly 12,000 sailors and Marines.

Southern Command: "Intelligence confirmed the vessel was involved in illicit narcotics smuggling..."

While the White House says the buildup aims to stem the flow of drugs into the United States, it has not publicly released evidence supporting claims that those killed aboard the vessels were "narcoterrorists." Most strikes have been reported in the Caribbean Sea, with some in the eastern Pacific — a key route for cocaine shipments from major producing countries.

The arrival of the carrier has geopolitical implications. Some observers view it as increased pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who faces U.S. narcoterrorism charges. Analysts disagree over whether U.S. warplanes could conduct strikes on land to try to compel political change in Venezuela. Senator Marco Rubio has denounced Maduro’s government as a "transshipment organization" that cooperates with traffickers; Maduro calls the U.S. campaign a fabrication and has announced large domestic mobilizations in response.

President Trump has defended the strikes by characterizing U.S. actions as part of an "armed conflict" with drug cartels and alleging that foreign terror groups operate some of the vessels. Lawmakers from both parties have pressed for more information about who is being targeted and the legal basis for the strikes. Last week, Rubio and Hegseth briefed a bipartisan group of national security lawmakers on the mission’s legal rationale; the following day, Senate Republicans voted to reject legislation that would have limited the president’s ability to use force against Venezuela without congressional authorization.

This developing story raises complex legal, humanitarian and geopolitical questions as military action in international waters continues to escalate.