US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced the start of Operation Southern Clover on October 10 to combat drug cartels.
“Today I am announcing Operation Southern Clover“, Hegseth wrote, noting that it will be led by the US Southern Command, whose area of responsibility includes Central and South America and the Caribbean, as well as a joint task force created specifically for the operation.
“This mission is designed to protect our homeland, eliminate narco-terrorists from our hemisphere, and ensure the security of our country from the drugs that are killing our people“, Hegseth said, without providing additional details.
Earlier, CBS reported, citing sources, that Hegseth and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Kaine, informed US President Donald Trump at a meeting at the White House about decisive measures against Venezuela that the US military could take “in the coming days“.
White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt said at a regular press briefing that the US intends to continue the use of force, which she said is aimed at disrupting drug trafficking in the Caribbean region.
On November 11, the Pentagon announced that a strike group of US ships, led by the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, had entered the area of operations of the US Southern Command to combat drug smuggling in the region. On November 1, The Washington Post reported that the US was increasing its military presence off the coast of Venezuela to combat drug trafficking. At that time, the publication noted that these forces include eight warships, a nuclear submarine and a special operations ship.
According to CNN estimates, the US military has destroyed approximately 20 motor boats off the coast of Latin America in recent months under the pretext of combating drug trafficking, killing nearly 80 people. After one of these strikes, Colombian President Gustavo Petro said that the US operation killed a fisherman, not a drug dealer from his country.
Washington accuses Venezuelan authorities of not being active enough in the fight against drug trafficking. Trump has authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela. US media have repeatedly reported that the US may soon begin striking drug cartel targets in Venezuela. However, on October 31, Trump said that he was not considering strikes on Venezuelan territory.