Make holes: the United States announced the launch of an operation against drug cartels

On Friday, November 14, it became known about the launch of Operation Southern Spear in the United States. Among other things, it is aimed at combating drug terrorism to ensure the country's security from smuggling illegal substances. In addition, the American aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford will approach the shores of Venezuela in the coming days, which, according to Western media, marks a "significant build-up of military power." For more information about the new US operation, as well as whether to expect an escalation in the region, see the Izvestia article.

"Southern Spear"

On November 14, on the social network X, the head of the US Department of War, Pete Hagseth, announced the start of an operation called the Southern Spear. It will be led by the Southern Command of the US Armed Forces, whose area of operational responsibility includes Central and South America, the Caribbean region, as well as a joint force specially created for this operation.

"This mission is designed to protect our homeland, eliminate drug terrorists from our hemisphere and protect our country from drugs that kill the population. The Western Hemisphere is a region of America, and we will defend it," Hegseth wrote.

He did not provide any other details of the operation.

In this context, it is important to note that earlier the CBS television channel, citing sources, reported that Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US Armed Forces Dan Kane provided Donald Trump with information about possible military measures against Venezuela that the US military could take "in the coming days." White House spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt also said at a regular briefing for reporters on Wednesday that the United States intends to continue using force, which, according to her, is aimed at curbing drug trafficking in the Caribbean region.

On Tuesday, November 11, it was reported that a strike group of American ships led by the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford entered the area of operational responsibility of the Southern Command of the US Armed Forces to combat drug smuggling in the region. There are more than 4,000 military personnel on board, and it also carries squadrons of attack fighters and combat helicopters, including dozens of tactical aviation units. On the 14th, it became known that the aircraft carrier would approach the shores of Venezuela in the coming days. The Associated Press noted that his arrival marks a "significant military buildup" of the United States in the region. It will reportedly join other warships, a nuclear submarine, and aircraft based in Puerto Rico, forming the largest U.S. military presence in the region in decades.

In response, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Ivan Gil spoke out, calling the US administration an aggressor and accusing them of militarizing the Caribbean region and threatening the people of Venezuela. The President of the Bolivarian Republic, Nicolas Maduro, answering questions from CNN journalists, called on American citizens to unite for peace on the continent. "Enough with endless wars, enough with unfair wars, enough with Libya and Afghanistan," he said.

It cannot be ruled out

American political scientist Malek Dudakov, in an interview with Izvestia, pointed out that the Southern Spear is nothing new. In fact, the Pentagon just came up with an official name for the operation in the southern United States and the Caribbean. However, due to the dispatch of an aircraft carrier and other military equipment to the region, it cannot be ruled out that the situation may go beyond attacks on Venezuelan or Colombian boats and lead, for example, to attacks on the land part of Venezuela, the expert believes.

— Another thing is that this is, of course, a very big risk for Trump. I think he hoped that the information and psychological campaign of pressure on Venezuela would lead to a change of power there, the resignation of Maduro, and a joyful crowd would bring Maria Machado (a Venezuelan politician who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2025 - Ed.) to the presidential palace. But this obviously did not happen," Dudakov states.

Now Trump may agree to strikes on Venezuelan territory, but the American expert doubts that this will lead to the overthrow of Maduro and his government.

— A situation like with Iran is possible: Trump struck, declared victory, but in the end nothing changed.A ground operation involving American troops could cause enormous losses for the United States," adds Malek Dudakov.

He also adds that there is currently a split in the administration of the American president regarding the future American strategy. Therefore, it is important to monitor whose camp will prevail, the outcome of this struggle, and determine what the US policy will be in the future.

— If Trump has to end the pressure on Venezuela, and there is no result, it will be a very serious reputational blow for him. Therefore, there are risks for him depending on which group he has already assembled. If nothing happens, Trump will show his weakness and lose face on the world stage," concludes Malek Dudakov.

Egor Lidovskaya, director of the Hugo Chavez Latin American Center, added that the United States could not help but announce a new step in the Caribbean direction.

— The indecision of the United States begins to raise questions and adds points to Nicolas Maduro. They can't leave without saying anything either — it would be too great a reputational loss, especially against the background of tension with the UK on the issue of intelligence. Therefore, it is obvious that a hanging gun must shoot sooner or later, the question is where and at whom," the expert notes.

He also adds that there are different scenarios for the development of events — from a direct military invasion of Venezuela to a couple of "ritual" strikes against insignificant targets to create an "image of a winner" for the world community.

"There are a number of intermediate options between these options, and which one of the entire spectrum will be chosen still depends on Trump, but we will only find out about this after the events develop," concludes Egor Lidovskaya.

The United States' fight against drug terrorists

The United States has long been experiencing a drug crisis, from which about 100 thousand Americans die every year. After coming to power, Donald Trump launched a campaign to combat this problem not only inside the country, but also outside it. A lot of emphasis was placed on Venezuela. According to Washington, the President of the Bolivarian Republic, Nicolas Maduro, has been heading the Cartel of the Suns for more than 10 years, responsible for drug trafficking in the United States, and he himself is "one of the largest drug traffickers in the world" who poses a threat to US national security.

Because of this, in August 2025, the reward for information that could lead to the arrest of Nicolas Maduro was increased to $50 million. He is also accused of corruption and drug—terrorism conspiracy with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - Army of the People (FARC) group, which has been recognized as a terrorist organization in the United States since 1997. It is important to note that the White House refuses to recognize Maduro as the legitimate head of Venezuela. American media reported that in October, Trump allegedly allowed the CIA to conduct secret operations in Venezuela aimed at destabilizing the government and possibly overthrowing the president.

Since September, the United States has also begun actively using its armed forces to destroy ships off the coast of the Latin American country that allegedly transport drugs. As of November 13, 20 attacks had been carried out, the number of victims of these attacks reached 80. According to Venezuela, they were fishing schooners.