Hegseth Unveils Operation Southern Spear Amid Venezuela Tensions

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday announced a new operation against “narco-terrorists” in the Western Hemisphere, signaling that the US may be prepared to step up a campaign of deadly airstrikes against vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean.

In his post on social media, Hegseth named the effort as Operation Southern Spear, but offered no further information about what the operation would entail or whether it presaged a fresh round of attacks. The Defense Department in January had announced an identically named operation described at the time as a robotics-based counter narcotics effort.

Asked for clarity, the ...