What is known about the military operation announced by the US against drug trafficking in Latin America

According to Pete Hegseth, Operation South Spear was ordered by Donald Trump REUTERS In yet another chapter of the United States offensive against what it has called “narcoterrorism” in Latin America, the American government announced this Thursday (13/11) the launch of a military operation ordered by President Donald Trump. ✅ Follow the g1 international news channel on WhatsApp The operation, called South Spear, will mobilize a task force and the Southern Command of the United States Armed Forces (Southcom) — responsible for the actions of American forces in South and Central America and the Caribbean. US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced the operation on the social network “The Western Hemisphere is America’s neighborhood — and we will protect it,” argued the secretary, whose position the American government has been calling “Secretary of War.” It is still unclear exactly where and how the operation will take place. Get to know the aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford, sent by Trump to the Caribbean READ MORE Trump administration announces operation ‘Southern Spear’ under the allegation of combating drug trafficking USA x Venezuela: get to know the aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford, sent by Trump to the Caribbean; INFOGRAPHIC INFOGRAPHIC: how the US surrounded Venezuela in an operation that threatens the Maduro government According to sources heard by the CBS network, BBC’s partner in the United States, high-ranking members of the government presented Trump, on Wednesday (12/11), with options for possible actions in Venezuela, such as bombings on land in the coming days. Hegseth was reportedly present at the meeting, as was General Dan Caine, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff. However, no definitive decision on the format of the operation would have been taken. According to CBS, the conversations resulted in the announcement of Operation Spear do Sul this Thursday. The tension between the USA and Venezuela is not new: it has been escalating in recent weeks, including speculation of a possible American offensive on land. On Tuesday (11), the largest warship in the world, the USS Gerald R. Ford, belonging to the USA, arrived in the Southern Command area. Meanwhile, according to CNN, the USA has already carried out 20 attacks on vessels accused of participating in drug trafficking, mainly in the Caribbean, but also in the Pacific Ocean. Eighty people died in these actions and two survived. The USS Gerald R. Ford joined other warships, a nuclear submarine and F-35 fighter aircraft that have been operating in the region in recent weeks. Over the past two months, American forces have been making the largest military deployment to the Caribbean Sea region in decades. Trump has on several occasions accused the president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, of allegedly being a drug trafficker — which the South American denies, stating that the US “is fabricating a war” against his country. Also on Tuesday, the Venezuelan government announced a national military mobilization to counterbalance the American naval presence. The tension also affects Colombia, whose president, Gustavo Petro, Trump accused of being “a criminal and a bad guy.” On Tuesday, Petro ordered Colombian forces to suspend sharing intelligence with American agencies until attacks on boats in the Caribbean cease. Petro wrote in X that the fight against drugs “must be subordinated to the human rights of the Caribbean people.” In early November, Trump played down speculation that he was planning to overthrow the Venezuelan government or start a war. In an interview with CBS, Trump argued that “every boat you see being shot down kills 25,000 people linked to drugs and destroying families across our country.” Asked whether the US was planning a ground attack, Trump refused to rule it out, saying: “I wouldn’t say I would do that… I’m not going to say what I’m going to do with Venezuela, whether I’m going to do it or whether I’m not going to do it.” The situation on the continent has been one of the sources of concern addressed by the president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, in international meetings and summits.

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