US military forces carried out airstrikes against three vessels in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing at least eight people, according to statements by US Southern Command.

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The command said the operations were conducted on Monday under orders from US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. In a post on X, Southern Command stated that intelligence assessments determined the vessels were traveling along known drug trafficking routes in the eastern Pacific and were involved in narcotics-related activities. No evidence was presented to support the claim.

Southern Command confirmed that eight people were killed in the strikes: three aboard the first vessel, two on the second, and three on the third. The command also released video footage of the operation on its official social media account.

In a separate statement, Southern Command reported another operation carried out on December 4 against a vessel suspected of drug trafficking, which resulted in the deaths of four people on board.

US authorities said the attacks are part of a broader military campaign known as Operation Southern Spear, aimed at disrupting maritime drug trafficking routes. According to official figures, US forces have attacked more than 20 vessels in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean under this campaign, killing at least 91 people. Other official tallies cited more than 26 vessels destroyed and around 90 fatalities.

The expanded US military presence in the Caribbean and surrounding waters comes amid months of sustained pressure by Washington against Venezuela. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said that former US President Donald Trump’s decisions regarding the alleged “war on drugs” have exposed the South American country to what he described as the “greatest continental threat in a century.”

Venezuelan authorities argue that the increased US militarization in the Caribbean is intended to undermine the government in Caracas. Trump has repeatedly announced that the United States will soon begin ground military operations against drug cartels on Venezuelan territory. Last week, he also said that Colombian President Gustavo Petro was “next,” referring to the pressure strategy previously directed at Maduro.

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