The US administration is at the center of intense scrutiny due to its controversial military operations in the Caribbean and the Pacific. These actions, which include the use of lethal force, are presented by Washington as a supposedly indispensable campaign against drug trafficking, although the evidence of its objective remains without being conclusively demonstrated. The discussion about its legitimacy and consequences has reached a fever pitch.
This Tuesday, the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, and the Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, went to the Senate to report on the attacks by the Donald Trump Administration in the Caribbean. Both secretaries participated in a briefing with all senators.
Both Rubio and Hegseth have participated in other meetings to explain the military campaign they are carrying out under the pretext of ending drug trafficking, but none with all the senators; closed-door meetings have been held with the leadership of both chambers or small groups of national security committees.
Upon leaving the meeting in the Senate, both representatives of the Trump administration assured the media that the members of the Armed Forces Committees, both in the Senate and the House of Representatives, will be able to see the unedited images of the bombing of the ship.
Let us remember that the attack carried out in the Caribbean on September 2 involved a second bombing of the boat, which Washington claims was transporting narcotics, which killed two survivors of the initial attack, something that military law experts consider would be an illegal action.
Despite the objections, Rubio stated that there is no change in the current policy approach in sight. Therefore, he threatened that the bombings against ships in the Caribbean and the Pacific will continue.
For his part, Pete Hegseth reinforced this position after Rubio’s statements. He reiterated his pride in the attacks, which have been called extrajudicial executions by international organizations and several Latin American governments, including those of Colombia and Venezuela.
New attacks in the Pacific
The US Southern Command (Southcom) reported new lethal kinetic attacks against three vessels in the Pacific this Monday, December 15, which were allegedly operated by designated terrorist organizations in international waters.
According to the report issued by the Southern Command in its account in X, in these operations eight people who were on board these boats lost their lives, three in the first boat, two in the second and three in the third.
“Intelligence confirmed that the vessels were transiting known drug trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and were engaged in drug trafficking,” the information states.
The attack carried out by Joint Task Force Southern Spear was ordered under the command of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, the US military entity indicated.
These murders were carried out just one day before the Secretary of State of the United States, Marco Rubio, and Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, go to the Senate to account for the controversial military attacks in the Caribbean, carried out under the direct orders of the Donald Trump Administration. The appearance takes place this Tuesday after months of pressure from Democratic senators, who have warned about the possible illegality of these operations and the eventual criminal liability of the officials involved.
For several months now, the United States has had a significant military force deployed off the coast of Venezuela and has carried out bombings against boats in the Caribbean, which have left more than 80 people dead, trying to justify its hostile and unilateral actions as part of the anti-drug fight.
Washington has accused the President of the Republic, Nicolás Maduro, without evidence or support, of leading an alleged drug trafficking cartel, the existence of which has not been reported by any international organization fighting against drug trafficking.
The head of state has repeatedly described the White House’s maneuvers as a smear campaign to justify anything against Venezuela. Along these lines, he denounced that this strategy seeks to tarnish the image of the country and the revolution as a pretext for attacks, something they have done many times.
Likewise, Maduro warned that the real objective of the US is a regime change to take over the immense oil and gas wealth of Venezuela.
