US strike kills three in new attack in Eastern Pacific

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen
Today 11:39

The US has killed three people in its latest strike on a boat in the Eastern Pacific, raising death toll to 83 as Operation Southern Spear fuels tensions near Venezuela.

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Screenshot from a video released on November 16, 2025 showing the US Southern Command's airstrike on an alleged drug vessel in the Eastern Pacific (X/@Southcom)

US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) announced in a statement on Sunday that the Joint Task Force Southern Spear carried out another lethal strike on an alleged drug trafficking vessel in the Eastern Pacific.

"On Nov. 15, at the direction of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization," SOUTHCOM stated in a social media post on the matter.

The statement added that US intelligence "verified" that those on board the boat were "involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics."

SOUTHCOM added in the social media post that three males on board were killed in the attack, now bringing the total number of those extrajudicially killed in the US' alleged "war on drugs" since September 2 to at least 83.

On Nov. 15, at the direction of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization. Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was involved in illicit narcotics smuggling,… pic.twitter.com/iM1PhIsroj
— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) November 16, 2025

US escalations in the Caribbean

The US' military deployment in the Caribbean region has seen rapid growth since the recent wave of operations targeting illicit drug traffickers began in September of this year.

On Sunday, the USS Gerald R. Ford, Washington's most advanced aircraft carrier, entered the Caribbean Sea in a major show of force in the region, raising questions about the Trump administration's broader goals with the move.

This comes off the back of the US' announcement of Operation Southern Spear on November 14.

Hegseth announced that the mission "defends our Homeland, removes narco-terrorists from our Hemisphere, and secures our Homeland from the drugs that are killing our people."

The US Secretary of War added that the Western Hemisphere "is America’s neighborhood – and we will protect it."

US pressure on Venezuela

Although Washington claims that the growing US military presence in the Caribbean is a part of an anti-drug initiative, observers have come to view it as part of the United States' broader campaign for regime change in Venezuela.

The Network of Intellectuals and Artists in Defense of Humanity put out a statement in condemnation of Operation Southern Spear, stating that the arrival of the USS Gerald R. Ford, alongside an increasing number of US military assets in the region, highlights a dangerous escalation against the government of Venezuela.

"We clearly expose the true interests behind the US empire's cognitive war, which aims to destabilize the legitimate government of President Nicolas Maduro, generate a narrative justifying the use of military force to impose regime change in Venezuela, alter the regional balance of power, and seize control of the country's vast natural resources," the network's statement read.

Llamado urgente de la Red en Defensa de la Humanidad

Ante la inminente y peligrosa puesta en marcha de la "Operación Lanza del Sur" por parte del Gobierno de Estados Unidos (EEUU), que se desarrolla en el mar Caribe y muy cerca de las costas de Venezuela pic.twitter.com/9myiBJzV3o
— Red en Defensa de la Humanidad (@HumanidadEnRed) November 14, 2025

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has prepared his nation's defense in the face of potential hostilities from the US, stating that the Venezuelan people "will know how to secure their stability and their full sovereign right to exist."