The United States has announced a military operation ‘Operation Southern Spear‘ targeting the Latin American country of Venezuela. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made the announcement on Thursday local time. This information was reported by the US media Axios.
In Pete Hegseth’s words, ‘Operation Southern Spear’ will be mainly aimed at ‘narco or drug terrorists’. He also said that this operation will ‘protect our homeland from the drugs that are killing our people.’
However, it is not yet certain whether Hegseth is giving a new name to the military activities that the United States is carrying out in the area adjacent to Venezuela or whether this is actually the beginning of a larger, more extensive operation? Because the United States has been assembling warships in the region for some time. Among them is the world’s largest warship, the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford.
Meanwhile, at least 80 people have been killed in attacks on suspected drug-trafficking boats, and US President Donald Trump has made it clear that he is also considering a ground operation. Top US military officials presented Trump with an “updated version” of an attack on Venezuela on Wednesday. US media outlet CBS reported that no final decision had been made at the time.
Southern Spear will be operated in part by the US Southern Command (Southcom), which oversees US military operations in Central America, South America and the surrounding seas. Southcom’s head, Navy Admiral Alvin Holsey, is due to retire in mid-December. His departure after just one year in office, which is far too early.
Holsey is reportedly moving more cautiously than Hegseth had hoped. Democrats have already questioned the legality of the attacks on the boats. Hegseth wrote in Ex. “The Western Hemisphere is America’s neighborhood. We will keep it safe.
